MYRTLE BEACH, SC- The Greenbrier East Lady Spartans are in Myrtle Beach for the next three days and will be playing some softball in between enjoying a spring break getaway.
On Monday, March 25, the Spartans faced the Lake Braddock (VA) Bruins, and after trailing 5-1 in the third inning, East got a game winning hit from Alanis McClary to snatch a 6-5 thrilling, come-from-behind win.
Things were a little tough early on, however.
In the top of the first, Lake Braddock’s Nora Abromavage ripped a 2-run double to center field. Hailey Hackbarth then knocked Abromavage in with a sac fly and the Bruins led 3-0. The Spartans answered with one run in the bottom half when they opened with three straight singles from McClary, Hailey Ervin, and Taylor Boswell. Boswell’s hit scored McClary, but that is all East would get and the Lake Braddock lead was 3-1 after one.
The Bruins scored in the second on an RBI single from Addison Forde and took a 4-1 lead after two innings.
After a home run from Abromavage in the third, the Spartans got a boost of some kind and never looked back.
Jenna Groves singled home Boswell in the bottom of the third and cut the Lake Braddock lead to just 5-2. An innings later, Kayla Bartley, who came on in relief of starter Lily Carola in the third frame, took over. She struck out the side in the fifth and the Spartan offense obliged with two more runs immediately after. Bartley singled and was followed by Carola with a hit as well. Bartley was able to score on an error in the field and Groves had an RBI groundout that made the score 5-4, Lake Braddock.
Bartley struck out the Bruins in order again in the sixth and East (6-1) tied it up in the bottom half with a groundout from Carola that scored Bartley.
Finally, in the bottom of the seventh inning and already with two quick outs, Regan Cline singled. She then stole second two pitches later. She was on third two pitches after that, and then it was McClary who drove a 1-1 pitch for the game winning base hit as the Spartans survived game one in the Palmetto State.
McClary (3-5, run, RBI) and Ervin (3-4) each had three hits. Cline and Bartley had two hits apiece. The Spartans totaled 14 hits as a team.
Bartley got the win on the mound after five innings of three-hit softball. She struck out 12.
Abromavage led Lake Braddock at the plate. She was 2-3 with a double, a home run and 3 RBIs.
East will return to action tomorrow, Tuesday, March 26 against Riverside (OH) and Union Pines (NC).
