By Mike McClure
The Laurel varsity softball team ended a six-game losing streak (after winning six in a row) with a 10-7 home win over Sussex Tech last Thursday.
“We’ve been on a losing streak,” said senior Ashlyn Ullman. “It (the win) definitely brings us some momentum.”
Laurel took the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Bailey Ullman singled, Ashlyn Ullman singled in a run and scored a run, and Katy Calloway added an RBI single for a 2-0 advantage.
Laurel senior Ashlyn Ullman leads off the bottom of the sixth inning with a double in last week’s 10-7 home win over Sussex Tech.
The Ravens answered with four runs in the top of the fourth. Adrianna Heck singled in a run and Mariah McCabe tripled in pair and scored on double by Bella Brittingham (4-2).
Laurel responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning as Jai’lah Shockley reached first on an error and scored on single by Bailey Ullman, Braidyn Hoffman walked and came home on a groundout by LB Lynch, and courtesy runner Jillian Columna scored on an error.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 8-4 in the fifth inning. Calloway and Journey Hearne each reached on an error with Calloway scoring on a sac fly by Jai’lah Shockley and Hearne coming in on a single by Hoffman. Bailey Ullman singled in Hoffman for the final run of the inning.
Sussex Tech’s Madison Myers led off the top of the sixth with a home run, Brittingham singled Gabi Gianacoplis (first on error) before moving to second on the throw home (8-6). Paige Krepps was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Hoffman got a pair of flyouts to strand the runners.
Laurel scored a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of their inning when Ashlyn Ullman led off with a double and scored on a wild pitch and Khloe Shockley reached on an error and scored on a passed ball.
In the top of the seventh, the Ravens’ Chloe Warrington walked, Heck singled, and Gianoacoplis reached on an error. Warrington scored on a sac fly by McCabe before Laurel’s Khloe Shockley fielded a ground ball and tagged second base to end the game.
Patience has been a key for the Bulldogs this season, patience at the plate and patience with the large number of young players seeing playing time.
“At practice every one of those kids beat themselves up if they swing at a bad pitch,” Bailey Ullman said. “It takes a lot of patience to deal with those kids.”
“But they’re a whole lot of fun,” added Ashlyn Ullman.
