The away game that was scheduled for Monday at Oakdale was rained out. There would be no rain-out on Tuesday, though. Tuesday was a beautiful day for softball. The sun was shining, the grass was green, and the Lady Waves traveled to Sweetwater for a double header. It just doesn’t get much better than this.
Sweetwater is a AA school with a good softball program. They know how to play fast pitch. The Lady Waves’ only home loss during last season came at the hands of the Lady Wildcats, by one run. So the SOR girls knew they had a tough ten innings in store on Tuesday.
The first inning of game number one started off well for Midway. A walk by center fielder/birthday girl Haley Parks and a single by right fielder/freshman phenom Alex Richardson set up an RBI single by second baseman Taylor Narramore. Short stop Hayley Patterson followed with another RBI single to make it 2-0, Lady Waves.
Sweetwater didn’t lay down, though. After their lead-off slapper beat out a throw to first, they scored a run on a defensive miscue by Midway. Sweetwater got another run on a controversial call at home plate. A strike out by pitcher Michelle Walden and nice throws by catcher Paige Moree and Patterson helped hold the score to 2-2 after one inning.
Not a lot of action for Midway in the second. Three base hits by Sweetwater led to one run and gave the Lady Wildcats a 3-2 advantage.
Business picked up for the Lady Waves in the top of the third. After Parks singled to reach base, Richardson stepped up to the plate. With two strikes on her, the freshman blasted a homer way over the left field fence. When it stopped rolling, the ball was 260′ from home plate. 4-3, advantage Midway.
Unfortunately, Sweetwater was quick to answer. Their first batter in the bottom sent a one-run shot over the center field fencing to tie the score. The Lady Waves weren’t rattled though. Three straight infield outs were recorded on plays by first baseman Taylr Hall, Narramore and third baseman Hali Morris.
After a scoreless top of the fourth, Sweetwater took the lead once again, scoring one run in the bottom of the inning.
Being a double header, this game was scheduled for only five innings. The Midway girls knew they would have to score at least one run in the top of the fifth to keep the game going. The heart of the batting order was up, and the girls made good contact with the ball, but the strong Sweetwater defense didn’t allow them anything. Final score: Lady Waves 4, Sweetwater 5.
After a short break, it was time for game two. A couple of lineup changes for Midway. Richardson moved to pitcher. Freshman Halie Wiley came in as the Flex player to play right field, but not hit. Walden would play offense only.
For the second game, the Lady Waves would be the home team on the score board, so Sweetwater batted first. Wiley got tested early, but came through with flying colors when she ran down a pop fly for the first out of the contest. An error by Midway and a double by Sweetwater put a run on the board, but two Richardson strike outs got the Lady Waves off the field.
After Parks reached on an error, Richardson came up huge again. Another two run homer! This time, the Midway spectators held their collective breath, as the ball just stayed fair inside the left field foul pole. After one inning, it was Lady Waves 2, Sweetwater 1.
Midway locked the Lady Cats down in the top of the second inning. Richardson started with two strike outs. The next batter popped out to Parks.
The Lady Waves couldn’t get much going in the bottom of the inning, and the score remained the same.
A hit batter and three hit pitches put two runs on the board for Sweetwater in the top of the third inning. Midway settled down and managed three outs, highlighted by an unassisted double play by Morris.
Things got exciting again in the bottom of the third. Another Parks single and some good base running helped get her in scoring position with two out. Patterson came up with a big hit to the outfield, and Parks got the green light as she approached third base. Parks turned the corner and sped toward home plate. Unfortunately, the Sweetwater catcher had the base line totally blocked off before the ball got there. Parks couldn’t get around her and got tagged out. After three innings: Lady Waves 2, Sweetwater 3.
The fourth started well for Richardson, as she tossed another strike out to start the frame. The fourth got a little rough for the Lady Waves after that. A couple errors, a couple walks, a couple hits. Walden came back on as pitcher, and Parks and Wiley both caught fly balls for the last two outs. Sweetwater had increased their lead by five runs by the time it was over.
The Lady Waves have heart, though. It wasn’t over yet. Freshman Shade Narramore, who came in at third base, singled with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Hall followed with another single, and freshman Alisa Barger came in to run for her. Center fielder Danielle Borum pushed Narramore across the plate with another single. Barger showed her speed, taking home when the Sweetwater catcher mishandled a pitch. Unfortunately, the Midway comeback fizzled after that, and the score stood at 8-5, Sweetwater.
In the top of the last inning, the Lady Wildcats added three more runs, two of them on another Sweetwater homer. Going into the bottom of the fifth, Sweetwater led by six.
Remember though, these are the Lady Waves we’re talking about. Sure it was getting cold. Sure, it was getting so dark you could barely see the ball. Still, these girls weren’t giving up. Richardson led off the inning with a big double to left center. Taylor Narramore followed with a single to push Richardson in and narrow the deficit to five. It’s almost totally dark now. The Midway hitters are pretty much guessing where to swing. Still, Christina Stansbury, who had come in at catcher, made sold contact for a base hit. Midway’s rally stalled after that, though. It was a great effort. Final score: Lady Waves 6, Sweetwater 11.
Midway more than held their own against a good AA program playing on their home turf. Good job, Lady Waves. Midway’s top performers at the plate included Alex Richardson (4-6, 4 RBI, 2 HR), Haley Parks (2-5), Taylor Narramore (2-6, 2 RBI), and Hayley Patterson (2-4, RBI). Walden and Richardson combined for eight strike outs.
The Lady Waves will go to Wartburg on Thursday for another double header. Start time is 5 PM. On Friday and Saturday, the SOR girls will be in Soddy Daisy for a big tournament.