By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
LEEDS — A two-run bomb by Makalyn Kyser in the third inning made it 3-0 and Springville never looked back, eventually dropping the Green Wave 6-0 here on Monday, March 7.
Freshman pitcher Shelby Hathcock got the shutout win in an absolute gem of a pitching performance, facing only nine batters through the first three innings and getting help from the Tigers’ defense with a pair of double plays to end the first and second innings. Hathcock allowed only four hits and struck out five batters.
“I think we’re playing so much better defensively,” said Springville head coach John Paul Taruc after the win. “We’ve got several players that haven’t played at the varsity level before, but they have stepped up and improved with us for the last couple of weeks. Defensively is where I think we’ve really set the tone.”
The defense behind Leeds pitcher Emma Machen, who struck out six Tigers, wasn’t quite as steady. The Green Wave made four errors on the day, including one that allowed Bekah Hargrove to reach first in the third. After a bunt attempt by Cami Gunter went wrong, (fielded for an out by Leeds first basewoman Maddie Payne), Kyser cranked one over the left-center fence.
The inning ended after Layla Bradshaw popped to left field and Bella Bullington tried to score from third. Leeds’ Sophie Gromko blocked the plate and applied the tag to stop the bleeding for the Green Wave. Machen faced seven batters in the inning,
The Tigers are 8-1 on the season in the early going.
“They were staying low and outside on me all day,” Kyser said. “They knew that I had just watched two low and outside pitched get called for a strike, and I wasn’t going to let another one pass. I had to reach to get it.”
Bullington opened the scoring for the Tigers in the top of the first with an RBI single that scored Gunter, who had singled and then stole second.
Hargrove and Riley Ruple scored in the fifth inning as Tori Barnes got a two-RBI single to make it 6-0 Springville. Ruple was in as a courtesy runner for Kyser.
Machen mowed down the Tigers 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, and Katelyn Howard cracked a double to center field for Leeds in the bottom of the inning. Howard stole third, Hathcock put the Green Wave away after that to close off any thoughts of a Leeds comeback.
“I had a lot of, I guess you could say ‘big game experiences’,” Hathcock said. “I pitched last year as an eighth grader, and that was really hard, pressure-wise. But I know these girls (meaning the Leeds team). I know all the girls, and I know what pitches they can and cannot hit, so I just thought if I hit my spots, I’d be fine.”