Mustangs start season with win over Indian Springs
Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, February 19, 2014
By Brandon Sumrall | Special to the Advertiser
The 2014 edition of the high school softball season got underway this week for the Isabella Mustangs as they played host to Indian Springs on Tuesday night.
A one-hit outing by the pitching duo of Chelsea Cox and Caley Booth, along with solid hitting and multiple errors by the opposition, allowed the Mustangs to come away with a 15-0 victory in a game cut short by the mercy rule in the fourth inning.
After a three-up, three-down inning by Cox and the Mustang defense to start the game, the Mustang bats went to work early, scoring three runs in the bottom half of the first inning.
A walk by Booth and a double by Cox set up a two-run double by Victoria Fletcher, who later scored on an infield grounder by Kacie Adams.
A walk to Sarah Thompson to start the inning gave Indian Springs a baserunner, but Cox retired two of the next three batters by strikeout, while a ground ball out retired the side.
The Mustangs added three more in the bottom half of the second inning.
Jayda Jones reached base on an infield single and Haley Underwood on a walk. Both later scored on passed balls at home plate.
A Cox single led to another run for Isabella when she was driven in by a Fletcher single.
The Mustangs called on Booth to take over the pitching duties in the top of the third inning, but the results were the same: another scoreless inning for Indian Springs.
The Mustang batters fell in order in the bottom half of the inning but maintained a 6-0 lead heading to the top of the fourth inning.
Jasmine Berry picked up the first hit of the game for Indian Springs in the top of the fourth, but an infield ground ball made for the third out and retired the side.
Makeala Littleton’s inside-the-park home run began a nine-run bottom of the fourth for the Mustangs.
With runners on the corners and two outs, a Cox double over the second baseman’s head scored Underwood and brought an end to the game.
Cox and Booth combined for four scoreless innings and five strikeouts, and one hit and two walks allowed.
Fletcher led the Mustangs at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a single, double, triple and four RBI.