by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191
PRINCE GEORGE – Hitting is a task Prince George softball has been trying to lick for the past two seasons.
Despite being outhit 8-3 Thursday evening by Colonial Heights, the Royals squeaked out a 1-0 victory in Central District play.
Timely defense and a stellar pitcher in Lauren Vinson – she had 13 strikeouts – has enabled the Royals to keep winning despite their struggles at the plate.
PG, ranked fifth in the latest DigitalSports Top 10, scraped in the game’s only run on textbook softball.
Katie Christopher singled and advanced to second on an error.
“I got two strikes on me and then I hit it to the right side because coach Chandler always tells me to hit that way,” said Christopher, the shortstop. “I just tried to make him happy and hit the ball that way.”
Then Jami Davis sacrificed the pinch runner, Ashley Richeson, to third, who later scored on a passed ball for the game’s only run, as Colonial Heights hurler Savannah Phillingane cruised in the circle.
Colonial Heights had the bases loaded in the sixth inning as a ball got away from Vinson, but it bounced right back to catcher Ashley Lowe, ending up in an out for Colonial Heights.
“A lot of times when you have that one little mistake that’s the one thing that will take just enough out of your sails,” Colonial Heights coach Toni Martin said. “I’ve never seen a ball bounce over a 20-foot backstop.”
Prince George has seen their hitting struggles continue, but coach Pat Waguespack hopes his girls will start to put the bat on the ball at the right moment.
“We’re still looking for the peak,” said Waguespack, whose team gets a break after falling to Thomas Dale in eight innings the night before. “And hopefully that will be toward the end of the season.”
Colonial Heights 000 000 0 – 0 8 2
Prince George 000 001 X – 1 3 1
Phillingane and Miller; Vinson and Lowe
Records: Colonial Heights (4-3 Central, 8-3); Prince George (6-1, 9-3)
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