Belhaven University 8, Berry College 1: Carruth sets a new strikeout school record to lead Blazers to victory
JACKSON, Miss. (BVM) 鈥� Entering into the series, the Lady Blazers have been able to defeat teams of great caliber. They were able to continue their winning ways against the Berry College Vikings.
For the Lady Vikings, they had only been beaten once entering into the series. It鈥檚 no surprise as to why they are the No. 8 ranked team in the country.聽
The game was met with warm temperatures and a small amount of wind. Parents and friends also lined the field with joy and chatter.
The Lady Blazers had energy superior to that of the Lady Vikings. The game began with Kennedy Carruth striking out the first three batters. In the next inning, Carruth was able to strike out four straight batters but the Lady Vikings got two runners on base.
Carruth remained calm and came back with two straight strikeouts. In Belhaven鈥檚 half of the inning, a sacrifice bunt was laid down and ultimately resulted in the Lady Blazers going up 2-0.聽
In the next couple of innings, the Lady Blazers stood their ground.
By the third inning, the game became a defensive battle. Berry College knew they had to get their bats going once again. In the top of fourth, the Lady Vikings were able to get on the board after a lead-off home run.
The Lady Blazers did not let that shift of momentum though. The Lady Blazers answered immediately in the bottom of the fourth by adding four runs.聽
Continuing their defensive presence, the Lady Blazers continued to keep the Lady Vikings at bay. The precision by Carruth and the Lady Blazer defense motivated the offense to score two more runs. The Lady Vikings called for a pitching change while Carruth remained as the pitcher for the Lady Blazers.聽
As this game finished, Kennedy Carruth set a new school record of strikeouts in a game with 14. In addition, the Lady Blazers were able to get their head coach’s No. 300 career win which is a great milestone.
With a score of 8-1, the Lady Blazers looked to keep the energy rolling into the second and final game of the series.聽
鈥淲e came out strong in the 鈥� game and pulled a win over a high-ranked team,” junior infielder Allie Gordon stated. 鈥淲hen we work together this will be the outcome of every game.鈥�
