Lady Eagles softball team overcomes 11-run deficit to defeat Giant City

The Lick Creek School Lady Eagles overcame an 11-run deficit to defeat the Giant City Lady Giants 19-13 in recent softball action.

On a great day for softball the Lady Giants started the game with a barrage of hits to take a large command of the game in the top half of the 1st inning.

As the Lady Giants batted around it appeared the Lady Eagles had their work  cut out. The Lady Eagles gave up four walks, two singles, a double, a triple and an error.

The Lady Eagles showed great composure as they began their come back.

First up was Brinley Corbit in the bottom half of inning one. Brinley led off with a single as Matt Houseman grounds out.

Following two stolen bases by Brinley Corbit, Shea Thorn pounded out a long triple to score Corbit.

Following a fly out by Morgan Smith and a strike out by Sammi Turner the first inning ended with the score still very lopsided 11-1.

Morgan Smith, the Lady Eagles pitcher, started the game looking like a rusty gate hinge. 

As the second inning got under way she warmed up quickly and became a well oiled pitching machine.

The team began to assert themselves in the top of the second inning. Giant City started with a single but Morgan Smith forced Giant City into two ground outs and a strike out.

The confidence was now growing as the bottom half of the second inning begins with Danielle Dunaway flying out and Kylie Tripp striking out.

Things began to take on a grim look, however. The Lady Eagles momentum started to pick up with two outs as Macie Hoehner walked, followed by singles by Brinley Corbit, Matti Houseman, Shea Thorn, Sammi Turner and Morgan Smith. The grimness disappeared quickly. Lick Creek was able to pick up 5 runs to stay competitive.

In the top of the 3rd Morgan held Giant City to 2 flyouts followed by a strike out.

The bottom of the 3rd inning saw Lick Creek continue to exert themselves with singles by Kiley Dailey, Brinley Corbit, Matti Houseman and Sammi Turner. Shea Thorn doubled and Morgan Smith singled to power Lick Creek to seven critical runs on some nice base running to grab the lead 13-11.

The top of the 4th saw the Lady Giants scoring only 1 run as the Lady Eagles are now soaring high. Smith is now in the groove striking out 2 players coupled with a fly out to centerfield. 

Lick Creek cooled off in the bottom half of the 4th as Dailey flied out and Tripp and Hoehner struck out. The game now has developed into a nail biter with Lick Creek leading 13-12.

The Lady Giants tied the score in the 5th picking up one run on two walks and a single. Smith retired the Lady Giants on two fly balls and a strike out.

In the bottom of the 5th the Lady Eagles turned up the after burners and scored four insurance runs on a lead off single by Corbit followed by a Houseman double and two singles by Thorn and Smith.

Three stolen bases by Corbit, Houseman and Thorn produced the runs needed to widen the Lick Creek lead to 17-12. Lauren Ecker got some baserunning experience and scored as a pinch runner for Morgan Smith.

In the 6th and 7th innings Morgan Smith was overpowering the Lady Giants as she forced the Lady Giants into three fly outs, one ground out and two strikeouts.

Lick Creek picked up two final runs on a walk by Tripp and singles by Hoehner, Corbit and Houseman to run the final score to 19-13.

Top hitters for Lick Creek are as follows: Brinley Corbit 5-5, Matti Houseman 4-5, Shea Thorn 5-5, Morgan Smith 2-5, Kiley Dailey 2-4, Macie Hoehner 2-3.

Extra base hits: Matti Houseman, double; Shea Thorn, 2 doubles, 1 triple; Kiley Dailey, double.