FAIRLEA- Greenbrier East’s Kayla Bartley has enjoyed a highly successful season in her first year with the Spartans.
On Wednesday, April 17, her momentum kept moving forward.
Bartley went 2-3 at the plate with a home run and four RBIs, and she also scored a run. On the mound, she pitched a complete game shutout with 13 strikeouts as the Spartans blanked a good Bluefield Lady Beavers team 7-0 and moved to 11-6 on the season.
East got big production from the top of their lineup all night and it started in the bottom half of the first inning when leadoff hitter Alanis McClary tripled to center field. A couple batters later, Bartley hit a sac fly that scored McClary and East led 1-0 after one inning.
After Bartley struck out the Beavers side in the top of the third, she brought her bat with her to the dugout in the bottom. McClary singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Taylor Boswell then drove her in with an RBI single. After Boswell moved to second on a passed ball, Bartley took a 2-2 pitch and drilled it over the fence in left field for a 2-run homer and a 4-0 Lady Spartans lead. East had an opportunity to extend that advantage even more after they loaded the bases but failed to get another run across.
Bartley struck out the first two Beavers in the top of the fourth which gave her eight consecutive punchouts to that point and got out of the inning unscathed with another strikeout that ended the top half of the frame. She then came to the plate and singled McClary home for a 5-0 Spartan lead.
The Spartans capped their final scoring when Boswell hit an RBI single in the sixth and Lily Carola did the same. After it was all said and done, the Spartans had completed the shutout.
East totaled 11 hits on the evening.
Besides Bartley’s big day, Carola was 3-4 with a double and an RBI. Also, McClary (2-3, 3B, 3 runs) and Boswell (2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) had big offensive games as well.
East will be right back in the friendly confines of Spartan Yards when they host the Nicholas County Lady Grizzlies on Thursday night, April 18.
