Patriots sweep double header of Northside
Published 12:25 pm Wednesday, March 20, 2019
The Pike Liberal Arts Patriots swept area foe Northside Methodist in a double-header on Tuesday night in Troy.
Ally Rushing pitched a complete game one and the Patriots knocked off the Knights 12-1.
Morgan Bundy sent the Patriot fans home happy in game two when she hit a walk-off single to give the Lady Patriots a 9-8 win.
Ally Rushing allowed just one run on two hits and struck out six Northside Methodist batters.
The Patriots finished with 14 hits in the win. Maggie Phelps went a perfect 4-4 with three RBI, while Ally Rushing, Grace Rushing and Maddi Johnson all had two hits. Bundy, Aubreigh Maulden, Emily Dean and Sarah Elizabeth Calhoun all had one hit.
Phelps doubled to left in the first inning to drive in Bundy and Ansley Adams to give the Patriots a quick 2-0 lead. They added three more runs in the second when Ally Rushing doubled on a hard ground ball to left to score Calhoun and Grace Rushing doubled to center, driving in Bundy and Adams.
After scoring a single run in the third, the Patriots had a six-run fourth inning. The Patriots had six hits including an RBI double by Johnson and RBI singles by Calhoun, Grace Rushing and Maggie Phelps.
The Patriots entered the bottom of the seventh in game two trailing by one run at 8-7. Emily Williamson got the inning started with a walk. After a fielder’s choice Maddi Johnson advanced Williamson to second, Atwell drove in the game tying run on a ground out to first. Johnson advanced to third on the play and came around to score on a game-winning single by Bundy.
Bundy got the start on the mound for the Patriots. Bundy pitched the game’s first five innings and allowed four total runs, three of which were earned on eight hits and a walk. She struck out five. Dannah Dawson pitched in one inning and allowed three runs on three hits and struck out two. Ally Rushing also pitched an inning.
The Patriots finished with eight hits in the win. Bundy and Grace Rushing both finished with two hits. Bundy and Grace Rushing both picked up two RBI. Ally Rushing, Avery Henderson, Williamson and Atwell all had one hit.
After falling behind 3-0, the Patriots got on the board in the bottom of the second when Williamson doubled to left to drive in Henderson, bringing the score to 3-1.
After two scoreless innings, Northside stretched the lead back to three when they scored a single run in the fifth.
The Patriots battled back to tie the game when they had their first of two consecutive three-run innings. Atwell and Bundy came around to score on an error and Ally Rushing scored on a wild pitch to even the game at four.
The Knights had a three-run inning of their own in the top of the sixth inning to retake the lead at 7-4. In the bottom of the sixth the Patriots stormed back to even the score once again with another three-run inning. Raegan Brown came around to score on a fielder’s choice before Grace Rushing hit a two-run single.
The Patriots let up the go ahead run in the seventh before the eventual heroics in the bottom of the inning.
The Patriots will be back in action on Thursday when they take on Abbeville in a double header beginning at 4 p.m.