Lady Pack gets wakeup call ahead of Beddingfield

Published 11:28 pm Tuesday, April 26, 2016

MICHAEL PRUNKA | DAILY NEWS LOADING UP: Hailey Harris collects herself before throwing to a Southwest Edgecombe batter in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game. She struck out the side in the final inning. The Lady Cougars provided Washington with a wakeup call it needed ahead of Friday’s game at Beddingfield.

MICHAEL PRUNKA | DAILY NEWS
LOADING UP: Hailey Harris collects herself before throwing to a Southwest Edgecombe batter in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game. She struck out the side in the final inning. The Lady Cougars provided Washington with a wakeup call it needed ahead of Friday’s game at Beddingfield.

Southwest Edgecombe struck for a run in the top of the first and neutralized Washington’s offense for four frames on Tuesday. It forced the Lady Pack to grind out a win, which is exactly what the girls did.

Briley Waters, Summer Campbell, Style McKissick, Chrissy McKissick and Sarah Lynch all came across in a five-run fifth inning that propelled Washington to a 5-1 win. Meanwhile, pitcher Hailey Harris bounced back from allowing a run early on. She finished the game with a dozen strikeouts, three walks and gave up just one hit.

The offense had to battle throughout the game. Lady Cougar pitcher Mandi Bass threw a one-hitter for about five innings before Washington’s bats came alive late in the game. The girls finished with six hits.

The win was much harder to earn than their last two. The Lady Pack recently blew past North Pitt and Farmville Central by a combined 26-0 score. This most recent outing was exactly what the doctor ordered since the girls now prepare for a first-place showdown at Beddingfield on Friday.

“We had 16 base hits (Monday night at Farmville Central),” coach Dough Whitehead said. “We were not facing a good pitcher. We turned around (Tuesday night) and, when we faced them before, (Bass) didn’t start.”

While Whitehead would have liked the chance to get back on the practice field between the Farmville Central and Southwest Edgecombe games, the competition they got from the Lady Cougars should prove valuable.

“We needed an awakening. We’ve got Beddingfield on Friday,” Whitehead said. “We need to get ready for them. I hope the girls take to heart what they did tonight. They did a great job coming back and winning the ball game.”

The Lady Bruins handed the Lady Pack its first loss in 2-A Eastern Plains Conference competition back on April 13. They exploded out of the gates when Washington spotted them five runs in the top of the first and rode that for the win. The Lady Pack, which committed a pair of errors in the game, now knows it can’t giftwrap Beddingfield any runs.

“When they were here before, we just had a bad first inning,” Whitehead said. “… We spotted them runs early on. We’ve got to get them out early and not give them runs. … We’re going to have to be ready and attack the ball. We’re probably going to work on some bunting, too.”

The top of the conference features a three-way tie. Washington, Beddingfield and North Johnston each have a loss. The Lady Pack comes home Tuesday night for senior night against North Pitt before closing the season at North Johnston on May 6. This final stretch will prove difficult for Washington, which has a conference title in its sights. However, Whitehead scheduled top-notch non-conference competition for this very reason.