It was not for a lack of base runners, but Madison County had to wait a while before it could break the game open against William Monroe. The Mountaineers put five runners in scoring position in the first three innings on the road, but only brought one home. That changed in the sixth inning when Kagney Shifflett launched a 3-run triple. With Lauren Seale dealing out of the circle, that was more than enough insurance for Madison to wrap up a 6-1 victory.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in my subs,” said Mountaineers coach Jesse Yowell who did not hesitate to put a freshman up to bat with the bases loaded. “Anyone on this team can have a tough night and so that’s why in practice every player gets the some amount of cuts as the starters. I don’t hesitate to bring anyone in.”
The move certainly paid off. It was still 1-0 in the top of the sixth when Madison came to the plate, but lefty Sam Atwell – who also had an impressive catch the outfield in the fourth – was able to offer some breathing room when she slapped an infield RBI single to score Taylor Deane. Shifflett then came to the plate and provided the game’s biggest hit.
Seale struck out 11 batters on the night, sitting down five of the first seven she faced. The sophomore did not give up an earned run in the contest.
“She’s been throwing well all year for us,” Yowell said. “But if there’s one thing we’ve struggled with for her, it’s leaving runners on base. We could be doing a lot better there, making it easier on her.”
Monroe senior Tiffany Snead accounted for her team’s lone run which came in the bottom of the sixth. Snead went deep to right field and an errant throw as she was round third allowed her to plate to break up the shutout. Taylor LoScuito accounted for the Dragons other hit on a single also in the sixth.
Madison had five hits with Seale, Kerri Carpenter and Chandler Gentry picking up the other three in the game. Carpenter had a single in the first, Seal had a single in the third inning while Gentry had a double in the seventh.
The Moutaineers (10-2 in the Bull Run District) head to Manassas Park on Monday at 7 p.m. for a makeup game before closing out the regular season at home against Rappahannock on Tuesday, also at 7 p.m.
The Dragons (7-6) will Manassas Park on the road Tuesday at 7 p.m. in its regular season finale.
