STERLING – Sterling’s Lady Tigers overpowered Geronimo by scoring 26 runs in two district tourney games while advancing to the regional tournament.
Sterling defeated Geronimo 13-3 and 13-0 in matchups played Sept. 22. Sterling, 27-6, is ranked No. 5 in Class A fast-pitch softball heading into the regional tournament, which started Thursday at Sterling.
Updated scores and highlights are available on the newspaper’s web site at www.swchronicle.news.
Geronimo scored one run in the top of the first inning to take its only lead of the game, but the Lady Tigers bounced back with four runs in their share of the first inning. Sterling loaded the bases with a double and two walks before Ashlyn Clift clobbered a grand slam over the right field fence, giving the Lady Tigers a 4-1 lead.
Geronimo closed the gap to 4-3 with two runs in the top of the third inning, but Sterling exploded for seven runs in the third to lead, 11-3. Sterling collected eight hits in the inning, including doubles by Emma Nunley, Lacy Spence, Kenley Geiger and Clift.
Sterling finished the scoring in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run by Ellie Pierce and a RBI single by Lacy Spence, with Geiger scoring from third base.
“We hit the ball well that day. It was good enough to win,” Sterling head coach Marty Curry said. “We didn’t play the cleanest we’ve ever played (in the field), but it was decent.”
Clift had a perfect night at the plate with three hits – a homer, a double and a single – in three at-bats. Morgan Curry also had two hits in two plate appearances, scored two runs and knocked in two more.
Lacy Spence had three hits in four at-bats including two doubles. She scored twice and had an RBI.
Kalleigh Budd started in the circle for the Lady Tigers and pitched all four innings, allowed one earned run, allowed two hits and struck out six Geronimo hitters.
In the second game, Sterling dominated again with a 13-0 win that lasted only 2 ½ innings. Sterling’s big gun were firing with eight runs in the bottom of the first inning and five more in the second inning.
Curry had a two-run double. Pierce knocked in two more runs with a single, Lacy Spence clobbered a two-run triple and Nunley’s double scored Spence from third.
In the second inning, Sterling used four hits and two Geronimo errors to tally the final five runs.
Curry started in the circle for Sterling and allowed only one hit while striking out one batter. Ava Alexander pitched the final inning and struck out two hitters.
