South softball falls 5-0 to University
Parkersburg South catcher Abbie Corbin, right, holds a meeting at the mound with Patriot pitcher Annie Shelton during Thursday’s softball game with University at Godbey Field. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
PARKERSBURG – In one dugout, hitting was definitely contagious. In the opposing dugout, contagious in a not so pleasant form. That’s how Parkersburg South softball coach Tim Burch chalked up Thursday’s 5-0 loss to University at Godbey Field. The Patriots managed just one hit — a one-out single from Annie Shelton in the bottom of the fourth inning – against University senior pitcher Sophia Lehosit, who struck out 14 and walked none. Despite being shutout, coach Burch didn’t feel any reason for alarm. “We have very good hitters on this team, so I know they will bounce back,” Burch said. University entered the contest having scored a total of two runs in a pair of losses this week, but the Hawks’ offense started finding the gaps in the second inning and never stopped. By the end of the game, eight of the starting nine in the lineup accounted for at least one hit to the 11-hit attack. Both University coach Mindy Parks and Lehosit agreed that facing Morgantown pitcher Madison Wisman the previous night in a 3-1 loss acclimated the offense for what they were about to embark on with Shelton on the mound for the Patriots. Averaging close to two strikeouts per inning, Shelton finished with five punch outs and allowed four earned runs. The first inning, however, was nowhere indicative of what Shelton was about to experience as she retired the first two hitters on just three pitches then completed the 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout. University then began to create traffic with one-out singles in both the second and third innings. Both runners were stranded, but the Hawks were making putting the ball in play – something South struggled with throughout. Lehosit struck out two in each of the seven innings. Only one fair ball left the infield, Shelton’s single in shallow center field in the fourth inning. Patriot clean-up hitter Payton Mackey probably had the loudest contact for either team. Leading off the second inning, she pulled a Lehosit offering over the left field fence, but 2 feet foul. On the very next pitch, she maintained a similar exit velocity on a liner snared by the shortstop. After the fourth-inning hit, Lehosit set down the final 11 batters she faced and received plenty of support as University scored twice in the fourth inning then tacked on another three runs in the fifth inning. After Shelton retired the lead-off hitter in the fourth inning, Maddie Shaver singled and Olivia Masoner followed by reaching on a base on balls. South appeared destined to get out of further trouble when center fielder Annalynn Windland sprinted into the right-center gap and tracked down a fly ball for the second out. University’s bottom half of the order kept the inning alive – first by Lexi Elza’s RBI single and Whitney Cox’s RBI base hit. With University leading 2-0, Lehosit admitted that it felt like a huge load was taken off her shoulder when her offense extended the lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning. Shelton again retired the lead-off hitter, but Adalyn Brown, Maddie Campbell and Shaver singled in succession which resulted in one run. An infield error allowed a second run to score and Elza’s single fisted over the shortstop gave her a second RBI for the night. At Godbey Field University 5, Parkersburg South 0 University 000 230 0 – 5 11 0 South 000 000 0 – 0 1 1 WP: Sophie Lohosit 7IP 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 14SO LP: Annie Shelton 7IP 11H 5R 4ER 1BB 5SO Hitting Leaders University (13-4): Adalyn Brown 1-4, run; Maddie Campobell 2-4, run; Maddie Shaver 2-4, 2 runs; Olivia Masoner 1-3, run, RBI; Sophia Lehosit 1-4; Lexi Elza 2-4, 2 RBIs; Whitney Cox 1-3, RBI; Calley Voithofer 1-3 South (11-5): Annie Shelton 1-3 Next game: Parkesburg South at Hurricane, noon Saturday; Washington at University, 2 p.m. Friday