Softball: Nine-run inning carries Lady Bulldogs past Lafayette
Published 2:51 pm Friday, March 18, 2016
Blakely Burch belted a grand slam, Savannah Brown continued her hot streak at the plate, and the Suwannee High School softball team run-ruled Lafayette 13-3 on Thursday afternoon.
Burch’s grand slam capped a nine-run fourth inning for Suwannee. The Lady Bulldogs entered the inning with a 4-3 lead. They finished the frame up 13-3.
It was the fifth home run of the season for the senior shortstop. Burch took an outside pitch over the center field wall off of Lafayette’s Haley Ellefson.
“I was thinking in the box, hit to the right side to score the girl on third,” Burch said about her grand slam at-bat. “It felt awesome.”
The match-up between Ellefson and Burch was a battle between future college teammates. Burch will play softball at the University of South Carolina Upstate next season. Ellefson, a sophomore, has verbally committed to USC Upstate.
Brown went 3-for-4 with a home run and two doubles. She drove in four and scored two runs. She has two home runs and eight RBI in her last three games.
The Lady Hornets kept the game close through three innings. A towering home run by Ellefson in the third brought the Hornets to within one run.
Ellefson pitched the first three innings. Rochelle McDonald took the ball to start the fourth inning. The Lady Bulldogs offense broke through against McDonald.
“It was one of those coaching decisions, making a pitching change, if it works you look like a million dollars,” Lafayette coach Tommy Chambers said. “If it doesn’t you look like a dime. It just didn’t work out.”
Alexis Brown had two hits for Suwannee. Brandi Davis threw a complete game five-hitter.
The game started at 1:45 p.m., the only weekday day game on the schedule for SHS. Rain fell from the start, making for some difficult defensive plays for both teams with the wet conditions.
SHS improved to 14-3. Lafayette is now 14-5. The Lady Bulldogs travel to Callahan to take on the West Nassau Lady Warriors on March 29 at 6 p.m.
