The Long County Lady Tide softball team finished the first week of the 2024 season 1-2 after falling to the No. 8-ranked Pierce County Bears on Thursday, August 15. They fell 10-1 in five innings.
The Bears started off hot in the first inning as they got three straight hits to score one run and put two on base with no outs. However, senior Ciara O’Brien saw to it that the Bears did not score again in the first.
She snagged a pop fly in centerfield and complete the double play at second base. After the Bears loaded the bases on a close play at first, O’Brien ended the inning by grabbing another hard-hit ball on the run to close out the top of the first.
Jersi Lester walked to open the bottom of the first before she stole second. Miley Maulden brought her home to tie the score 1-1 going into the second inning.
The Bears loaded the bases with no outs in the second, but pitcher Casey Lust forced three popouts to end the inning and get out of the jam.
Despite getting back-to-back singles in the bottom of the second, the Tide could not take advantage as the score remained tied going into the third.
This is where the Bears started to turn things on as they scored three runs in each of the next three innings.
In the third, the Bears scored one to take the lead and then loaded the bases with two outs on the board. A single to right field scored two more runs for a 4-1 lead.
Alyssa Skipper made her first appearance in the circle when she took over for Lust in the fourth. Two Bears got on with a walk and a single before a triple to the right field wall scored two more runs to make the score 6-1.
One more run scored to make the score 7-1 before Skipper got two strikeouts to end the fourth.
Lana Lewis and Reese Davis both singled and Addison Moss was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but a pop fly and subsequent double play at second ended the Tide’s chances of cutting into the Bears’ lead.
Pierce County added three more runs in the fifth for a 10-1 run-rule victory.
With the loss, the Lady Tide fall to 1-2 on the season and will travel to play Camden County on Monday, August 19.