Seventh-inning rally ends Lady Bear softball season

GEORGETOWN, Ky. — Season-ending losses are never easy, but this one will be particularly tough for the Lady Bears of Pikeville College.

A run-scoring double off the bat of Ashley Vice capped a two-run rally in the bottom of the seventh to move Lindsey Wilson past Pikeville 2-1 in an elimination game in the 2008 Mid-South Conference softball tournament.

The win meant the team’s most staunch rival, the Lady Raiders would advance to play Georgetown for a shot at Campbellsville in the championship round on Saturday.

“It’s a bitter pill, but that’s what they do,” said Coach Robert Staggs. “Give them credit. They hang around and hang around and they find a way to win. I give them all the credit in the world.”

Staggs said the loss made him no less proud. “I’ve very pleased with my team,” he said after the season ended at 26-28. “We gave it everything we had. Yesterday it worked. Today it wasn’t enough.”

The Lady Bears handed Lindsey Wilson a 3-0 loss in the opening round on Friday.

Having escaped multiple-hit innings in the first and second by the Lady Raiders, Pikeville posted what would prove to be its only run of the game in the top of the fourth. With one out, cleanup hitter Katie Parsley laced a double into the gap in right-center. After moving to third on a ground out, she scored when Tiffany Allen’s bloop single landed in the infield.

That would be all of the scoring for Pikeville, although they had a chance to plate an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Allen led off with a bunt single and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior Megan Swan and an illegal pitch. But a strikeout and pop out ended the inning with her still at third base.

That set the stage for Lindsey Wilson’s winning rally, which began when leadoff hitter Whitney Mink laced a single to center and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. She scored when Lauren Miller doubled to right. After a walk to Shayla Cain, Ashley Vice lined a double to left field, plating Miller with the winning run.

Pikeville had three hits in the loss. Allen had two infield singles while Parsley doubled.

Freshman Whitney Compton was the pitcher of record for Pikeville, going 6 1/3 innings. She allowed 10 hits and two earned runs while striking out three and walking three.

In Pikeville’s four games in the Mid-South tournament, it committed only one fielding error.