MINT HILL, NC – The Lady Stallions were defeated by JM Robinson on their home field in a game they could have put in the win column. The non-conference contest had its ups and downs including an outstanding pitching performance by sophomore standout a all-conference and high probability all-state 1A player Abi Sawyers.

The Stallions stranded 11 baserunners and simply could not get a key hit when they needed one with runners in scoring position. They had situations in three innings with runners on second and third base, the bases loaded with one out or less, and could not deliver a hit to break open this game.

Meanwhile, Sawyers had another solid performance striking out 12 batters, and allowing only one earned run. The Stallions committed 5 errors which led to the defeat late in the softball game. The team’s most productive hitters in the lineup went 3/13 with one RBI, which also contributed to the loss.

The Stallions were down 1-0 in the first inning, both teams went down in order in the second. However in the third frame, the Stallions tied the ball game when senior Natalie Megale ripped a line-drive single to right-center, the ball was bobbled by the outfielder, and she galloped into second base. Then with two outs, Alyssa Steele drilled a base hit to drive in the run to tie the ball game 1-1 after three innings of competition.

The game remained tied until the 6th inning when the wheels came off defensively for the Stallions. The Lady Bulldogs score 2 unearned runs on 3 errors committed in the field. A  mental error added to their woes when a Stallion did not cover a base for a final out ending the threat without any further damage with only 1 run scored. At the time this seemed significant, as the visitors pushed across another run on an errant throw in the infield that should have ended the inning.

In the 7th frame, the defense committed another error that led to two more unearned runs giving the Bulldogs additional insurance cushion entering the Stallion’s final at-bat with a 5-1 lead. The Stallions stranded their 11th runner in their final at-bat which seemed to be a pattern for this contest.

The only extra base hit for the Stallions was by freshman Liz Finter who smashed a drive into the right center field gap for a double. Steele went 2-4 in the ballgame with one RBI, while Sawyers tossed 93 pitches in 7 innings, allowed 8 hits, 1 earned run, 2 base-on-balls, and accumulated 12 strikeouts in a solid outing.