Lady Pioneers Shut Down USC Sumter
Spartanburg, SC - The Lady Pioneers continued their hot play both at the plate and in the circle sweeping the USC Sumter Fire Ants 6-0, 9-0 yesterday in Region 10 play.
Bailey Smith (Crest HS) started game one and held the Fire Ants to zero runs on eight hits.
SMC scored two runs in the bottom of the first. Morgan Cox (Hillcrest HS) and Brittany Phillips (Broome HS) reached base with bunt singles and advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a sacrifice bunt by Casey Shue (Concord HS). Lauren Eastwood (Hanahan HS) delivered a single to centerfield driving in Cox and Phillips.
SMC scored two more in the fourth inning when Amanda Hayes (Pickens HS) reached first on a hit by pitch, Jena Westmoreland (Mauldin HS) reached on a error, both scored on Brittany Phillip's double to left field.
Lauren Eastwood led off the 5th and scored on Leah Babson's (Stratford HS) triple down the left field line. Babson then trotted home on a squeeze bunt by Amanda Hayes making the score 6-0. Eastwood (3-for-3) Phillips (2-for-4) led the Pioneers offense.
In game two, Ali Ruppe (East Rutherford HS) start in the circle and all she needed was one run but the Pioneer offense delivered nine runs and ended the game in five innings.
Ruppe threw a one hitter and struck out seven Fire Ant hitters while only allowing one runner to reach 2nd base.
Morgan Cox(2-for-3) scored in the first inning after reaching on a single to left, moving to second on a Brittany Phillips sacrifice bunt and scored on a error by the Fire Ants. Cox continued her hot streak in the third inning driving in Kelsey Pruitt(South Florence HS)(2-for-2, 2 runs) and Jennifer Jones (Woodruff HS).
SMC broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, when Pruitt singled, moved to second on Jones sacrifice bunt. With two outs Phillips walked, Maddie Sharpe (White Knoll HS) doubled to deep left driving in two runs.
Jennifer Bonham (Nations Ford HS) walked, Leah Babson doubled to left, Morgan Blanton(Crest HS) singled to center and Emily Kirby (White Knoll HS) doubled off the wall in left to round out the scoring. The Pioneers had 9 runs on 11 hits in game two.
The Lady Pioneers (17-14, 10-4 Region 10) will agian host USC Sumter at home Friday for another doubleheader starting at 3 pm. The Saturday doubleheader with Georgia Perimeter College has been postponed due to impending weather and has not been rescheduled.
Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The College is in its 100th academic year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.
For more information please contact athletic director Mark Perdue at (864) 587-4237.
