by Wayne Lee – Sports Editor
It was Springfield week last week for the Eagle Point High School softball and baseball teams, which was good for the Eagles but not so much for the Millers. The Lady Millers came into the league opener winless and ranked dead last in the state, which explains the Lady Eagles 20-0 thumping that was called after just four innings at Springfield April 14.
Eagle Point opened the game with a walk to leadoff hitter Elaina Almaraz who went from first to third on a sacrifice bunt by Riley Jacoby. Kady Ledbetter blasted a triple to drive in the run. Her sister, Kolbie Ledbetter, followed with a walk and stole second base and Naomi Jackson walked to load the bases. Brylee Leonardo knocked in a run with a single to left and Reese Zirkle walked to make 3-0 after one inning.
The second inning saw the Lady Eagles mount a two-out rally as Riley Jacoby walked, stole second and scored on a double by Kady Ledbetter. Kady scored on a single by younger sister, Kolbie, who later scored on an inside the park home run by Naomi Jackson for a 7-0 lead.
The third inning saw more of the same as Springfield allowed a single, a walk and a hit batter to load the bases with no outs. Kady Ledbetter stepped to the plate and hit one to the fence for a bases-clearing triple. Her sister, Kolbie, hit a single to short but Kady was thrown out at the plate trying to score. Kolbie, however, was later able to score on an error by the catcher to make it an 11-0 game.
The fourth inning is when it all came apart for the Lady Millers. Eagle Point set 14 batters to the plate and scored nine runs to end the game early. A single and two errors loaded the bases. Two errors and a single scored a pair of runs before Kady Ledbetter cleared the bases with another triple for a 15-0 lead.
Kolbie reached base on a fielder’s choice and then stole second, which allowed Kady to score on an error by the second baseman to make it 16-0. Leonardo followed with a three-run triple down the right field line to make it a 19-0 game. Another single and a walk loaded the bases once again before Almaraz drove in another run to make the final score 20-0.
Kady Ledbetter led the offense going 4×5 with a double and three triples to score three runs and drive in seven. Kolbie Ledbetter went 2×3 with an RBI and four runs scored; Jackson went 2×2 with two walks, two runs, a home run and two RBI while Leonardo went 2×3 with a triple, a run scored and three RBI.
The Millers then came to town for a pair of games on April 18, and it didn’t get any better as Springfield dropped the opener 14-1 and lost the nightcap 18-0. Both games were called early due to the mercy rule.
Eagle Point wasted little time in the first game as Almaraz opened with a double and scored on a home run to deep left field by Jacoby for an immediate 2-0 lead. Kady Ledbetter walked and advanced all the way to third on a ground out by younger sister Kolbie. Jackson was hit by a pitch and Leonardo singled to left to score both runners for an early 4-0 lead.
The second inning saw Almaraz and Jacoby walk before Kady Ledbetter hit a single up the middle to score both runners to make it a 6-0 game.
Springfield managed a run in the third thanks to three walks and a wild pitch, but the bottom half of the inning saw the wheels came off for the Millers as Eagle Point sent 11 batters to the plate, scoring seven runs for a 13-1 lead. The inning began with a hit batter, a pair of singles by Zirkle and Leonardo which scored two runs, and following a walk to Almaraz, who promptly stole second base, Leonardo scored on an error and Jacoby singled up the middle to score Almarez for a 10-1 lead, still with nobody out.
A walk forced in a run and a one-out error scored another pair of runs to make it 13-1 and the Lady Eagles put together three straight singles in the fourth to add another run and call it a game.
Jacoby led the offense going 3×3 with a walk, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. Kady Ledbetter was 2×3 with a walk, a run and three RBI, Almaraz went 2×2 with a pair of walks, a double and scored four times. Mady Dean got the win pitching just one inning while striking out the side on just 15 pitches.
The Lady Eagles then closed out the day with a game that was over before Springfield even had a chance to bat. After three consecutive strikeouts by Leonardo, Eagle Point came to bat and knocked out the Springfield starter in the first inning. The Lady Eagles batted through the order twice, sending 18 hitters to the plate as they exploded for 15 runs before the Lady Millers could record three outs.
The first eight batters in the line-up all hit safely before Springfield could record an out and by then it was already 7-0. A double and a pair of singles made it 10-0, but after a line out to the pitcher, two walks and a two RBI double to left by Dean made it 12-0. Leonardo was able to score on a wild pitch before Zirkle hit a triple to deep center and suddenly it was 15-0. Eagle Point added three more in the second before they called the game over.
The Lady Eagles’ 18 runs came on 17 hits and they only batted in two innings. Dean led the offense going 3×3 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and five RBI. Jacoby went 3×3 with a double, RBI and a run scored, Kady Ledbetter was 3×3 with three RBI and three runs scored, Zirkle went 2×3 with a double, a triple, three RBI and a pair of runs while Almaraz was 2×3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Again, all of this was accomplished in just two innings.
Over the three-game series, The Lady Eagles soared, outscoring Springfield 52-1, outhitting them 44-1 while committing just three errors to the Lady Millers 12. Eagle Point currently stands at 5-1 in league and 9-4 overall. Springfield has yet to win a game and is 0-11 overall, has been outscored 204-32 and is ranked 31 out of 32 teams in the state.
Baseball
The outcome for Springfield baseball wasn’t much better as they also came into a three-game series not only winless, but so depleted they forfeited the final game of the three-game series days in advance. Eagle Point traveled to Springfield where they posted a 16-0 win in just five innings and then followed with a 10-0 win on their home field April 18.
The game in Springfield began with a walk to Ryan McFall and a single by Cooper White that moved McFall to third. White advanced to second without a throw before Sean McFall drove in McFall with a sacrifice fly to center. Braden Nugent then followed with a triple to right to score White, and the Eagles were up 2-0.
They added another pair of runs in the second when Colton Pierce laced a one-out triple to deep center. Carson Robinson was hit by a pitch and then followed with a two-out single to score both runners and the Eagles were up 4-0.
The third inning saw the Eagles down to their last out when both John Beals-Garcia and Mason DeVry were both hit by a pitch and Collin Pierce made them pay with a two-run double to left that scored both runners and made it a 6-0 game.
It all began to unravel for the Millers in the fourth inning with a lead-off bunt single by Ryan McFall who stole second but was caught stealing third. However, White drew the walk, went to second on a balk and ended up on third thanks to a wild pitch. Colby Stockton hit a fly ball to right that was misplayed, allowing White to score for a 7-0 lead.
A balk moved Stockton to second, and Sean McFall singled up the middle to put runners at first and second. Nugent then lashed a double up the middle to score Stockton to make it 8-0 with runners at second and third. Beals-Garcia then followed with a shot down the left field line that drove in both runners for a 10-0 lead.
The dagger came in the fifth inning. Robinson led off with a single to right that was misplayed, allowing him to advance to third. Ryan McFall reached first on a bunt and then stole second. Robinson scored on a wild pitch and with McFall now on third, Stockton was hit by a pitch and Sean McFall followed with an RBI single to left to score his brother.
Nugent followed with a line drive down the third base line to score McFall and Stockton to make it a 14-0 game. Beals-Garcia singled and a ground out by Mason DeVry put runners at second and third with two out. Consecutive singles by Colton Pierce and Robinson each drove in a run for the final score of 16-0.
Nugent powered the Eagle offense, going 3×4 with a single, double and triple with four RBI and a pair of runs scored. Pierce also went 3×4 with a double, a triple and three RBI with a run scored, Beals-Garcia was 2×3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored, the McFall brothers combined to go 4×7 with two RBI and four runs scored while White was 2×3 with a pair of RBI and runs scored.
The Millers then came to Eagle Point for a scheduled doubleheader that turned out to be one game as Springfield had already forfeited the second game before coming into town. In the end, the Millers scored no runs on no hits as they fell 10-0 in six innings.
The Eagles scored in every inning including the first with a lead-off double by Ryan McFall, who moved to third on a ground out and scored on a balk by the pitcher. The second inning featured a one-out triple by Mason DeVry, who then scored on a dropped third strike throw to first. The third saw Eagle Point manufacture another run when White was able to work a four-pitch walk and then advanced to third on a ground out before scoring on a sacrifice fly to right by Sean McFall to make it a 3-0 game.
The Eagles blew the game open in the fourth when Beals-Garcia reached on an error and later scored on a bunt that was fielded but thrown down the right field line. Eagle Point mounted a two-out rally as Ryan McFall managed to drive in a run on a pop fly single followed by a walk and a double down the left field line by Stockton to score two more.
The Eagles added a run in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a two-out RBI single up the middle by Robinson to score DeVry and make it an 8-0 game and then added two more in the sixth. Stockton singled, Sean McFall walked and DeVry smacked a two-out double up the middle to score both runners and end the game.
DeVry led the offense going 3×4 with a double, triple, two RBI and two runs scored. Robinson went 3×3 with two RBI and a run scored, Ryan McFall was 2×4 with a double, an RBI and a pair of runs scored while Stockton had a double and a pair of RBI. Nugent got the win on the mound throwing four shutout innings striking out nine and walking only one.
