Lady Bucs Sweep Northeast AL

Rainsville, AL- The Shelton State softball team took both games from Northeast Alabama (7-6,11-3) in Rainsville on Thursday and capped off the series with a 1-0 and 11-3 win on Friday in Tuscaloosa.

Game 1:

A strong start allowed the Lady Bucs to fend off a late Mustang rally, taking game one 7-6.

Victoria Hagemann once again went the distance for the Lady Bucs, allowing 6 runs on 10 hits while striking out 4. Lauren Coker and Aspen Gerald recorded 2 RBI's apiece, both on home runs. Chloe Mitchell was the only Lady Buc to record multiple hits in the contest.

The Lady Bucs started hot as Alana Spann led off with a triple scoring on Layla Bradshaw's base hit. Willeshia Lang would add a triple and score on an Aspen Gerald homerun as the Lady Bucs sailed to a 4-0 lead.

The Lady Bucs would stay quiet until Lauren Coker launched a 2-run home run in the 5^th to extend the lead to 6-0. Northeast would load the bases in the bottom of the 5^th and tack on 4 runs, inching their way back in the contest.

Harley Johnson would come around to score on a Chelsey Hogsed double to extend the lead to 7-4, a crucial insurance run for the Lady Bucs.

Northeast would bring 7 batters to the plate in the 6^th inning drawing with one run, 7-6. The tying run would reach for the Mustangs before Victoria Hagemann would induce back-to-back groundouts to end the game.

Game 2:

Game 2 saw a much slower start but a stronger finish from the Lady Bucs as they took the Northeast in the nightcap 11-3. Outside of a 3^rd inning double from Layla Bradshaw, neither team could find consistency from the plate.

The 4^th inning saw 10 Lady Bucs come to the plate scoring 5 runs on 6 hits (Chloe Mitchell, Harley Johnson, Willeshia Lang, Natalie Liner, Alana Spann, and Layla Bradshaw). The bats would go cold again until the final two innings where the Lady Bucs would score their final 6 runs. The Mustangs added their only 3 runs on a homerun in the 6^th inning.

Alana Spann went 4-5 in the nightcap with 4 RBI's. Harley Johnson, Chloe Mitchell, and Natalie Liner all had 2 hits apiece batting in 4 runs combined.

Mackenzie Harper got the win in the circle for the Lady Bucs going 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and striking out 13. Lexi Darnell pitched a perfect 7^th inning to close the game.

Game 3:

Victoria Hagemann threw her 3^rd complete game shutout in her last 4 outings as they Lady Bucs won a pitchers' duel, 1-0.

Hagemann allowed only 3 hits, striking out 4. Hagemann only faced 3 batters over the minimum in the game, throwing just 72 pitches.

The Lady Bucs had 7 hits in the game led by Alana Spann and Harley Johnson with 2 apiece.

The lone run was scored in the 6^th inning as Willeshia Lang drove in Chloe Mitchell after she was hit by a pitch and stole second before advancing on a fly ball.

Game 4:

Chloe Mitchell drove in 5 runs as the Lady Bucs took down Northeast 11-3 in the final game of the series.

Unlike game 3 both teams got on the board in the first inning. Northeast struck first before Chloe Mitchell blasted a 2-run homerun giving the Lady Bucs a 2-1 advantage. The bats would go cold until the 5^th inning when Northeast took the lead on a 2 RBI double with two outs.

The Lady Bucs would answer with a 4 run, 5 hit bottom half including a 3 RBI triple from Chloe Mitchell to regain the lead. Shelton scored 5 runs, 4 with two outs, in the 6^th capped off by a Lauren Coker walk-off single.

Layla Bradshaw and Chloe Mitchell had 3 hits apiece while Bradshaw scored 3 runs and Mitchell drove in 5. Lauren Coker also had 3 hits to go along with 2 RBI's.