By Cort Reynolds
ADA – The Ada High School softball team bounced back from a loss by dominating Cory-Rawson 12-0 in the belated Bulldog home opener on Thursday, April 3.
Ada senior catcher Natilyn McClain launched two two-run home runs to pace the onslaught.
“Natilyn hit two nice homers,” said fourth-year Ada head coach Jeff Bassitt. “Cory-Rawson is much improved from last year. We got everyone in the game.
“It is nice to get back on the winning track,” he added.
The Bulldogs out-hit the Hornet girls, 9-2.
Ada improved to 4-1 overall after the non-conference home victory. C-R dropped to 0-1 with the defeat.
The Bulldogs jumped ahead with four runs in the bottom of the first frame and were never threatened.
Freshman Emily Shanks doubled off the fence, and came in to score the first run on a Tess Griffith single to left field. Sophomore Reese Jordan then unloaded a three-run double off the base of the left field fence to extend the advantage to 4-0.
Two Hornets reached base in the second on a bunt single and a spinning grounder to shortstop. After two steals put both runners in scoring position, senior ace Jenna Bassitt struck out the next two batters to escape her only jam of the evening.
Ada tallied two more runs in the home second. Dailah Preston lifted a long double that landed just in front of the center field fence. With two outs, McClain walloped a two-run shot over the left field fence to make it 6-0.
Bassitt set C-R down in order in the third, capped by a third out whiff on a change-up.
Leading off the bottom of the third, Karley Wagner raced all the way to third on a throwing error. Aidra Preston’s hard grounder to third base drove in Wagner for a 7-0 cushion.
Bassitt made it eight Hornets retired in a row with a quick top of the fourth. She was hit by a pitch in the home fourth, and sped home when Shanks roped a double down the left field line.
McClain then golfed a pitch high into the air that carried over the left field fence for her second straight homer that stretched the lead to 10-0.
Sophie Fleming smashed a pinch-hit liner off the left fielder’s glove and raced to second. She then scurried home on two wild pitches to make it 11-0.
Emma Lambdin drew a walk and stole second. She then scored on a line-drive RBI triple to right field off the bat of Abbey Johnston.
Taliana Parker then grounded out to end the frame with Ada on top, 12-0.
Under a light rain, C-R led off the seventh with a sharp single in the gap. But Dailah Preston gunned down the runner by 20 feet at second when she made an ill-advised attempt to stretch it into a double.
After a groundout, Bassitt ended the run-rule shortened game with her sixth strikeout. She gave up two hits in the five-inning shutout.
McClain drove in four runs and scored twice on her pair of circuit blasts. Shanks slammed two doubles and had an RBI. Johnston sliced an RBI triple. Jordan drove in three runs with a double.
Dailah Preston doubled and scored a run. Aidra Preston hit a single, drove in one run and scored a run. Wagner walked once and scored twice. Griffith singled home a run and scored a run. Fleming and Bassitt each scored one run.
Weather permitting, Ada will visit arch-rival USV (0-1) Saturday.
| 123 456 7 | R H E | |
| CORY-RAWSON | 000 00x x | 0 2 2 |
| ADA | 421 5xx x | 12 9 1 |
WP-Bassitt (4-1) LP-Duffman
2B-Shanks 2 (A), D. Preston (A), Jordan (A)
3B-Johnston (A)
HR-McClain 2 (A)
