NTL SOFTBALL: McGAUGHEY'S TWO HOME RUNS POWERS SAYRE TO 13-8 WIN OVER NOTRE DAME (24 PHOTOS) (2024-04-27)
Valley Sports ReportSAYRE — Junior Abbie McGaughey belted her first two career home runs, and drove in six runs to power Sayre to a 13-8 win over Notre Dame here Saturday in non-league softball action.
“The girls played a nice game today,” said Sayre coach P.J. Davidson. “I’m proud of the girls. This is a big win for the program.
“We haven’t been playing our best softball over the last several games, so we needed to get back on track,” he added.
With the win, Sayre improves to 3-7, and tops last year’s win total.
McGaughey’s first home run of the game was a 3-run shot over the left field fence in the bottom of the first to give the Redskins a 3-2 lead.
Sayre stretched its lead to 8-2, but Notre Dame scored six unearned runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 8-8.
“Raegan (Parrish) pitched one heck of a good game,” said Davidson.
“We had that one inning again, where we seem to have, a couple errors, give up a couple of hits and let them right back in the game,” noted Davison. “But, the girls never quit.
“After we got through that one bad inning, the girls all settled down and started to play again,” added Davidson.
McGaughey’s second blast was on the second pitch in the bottom of the fourth to put the Redskins back out in front at 9-8.
“Abbie McGaughey’s two home runs were very big for us,” said Davidson. “Abby came up in the bottom of that half inning, and hit a key solo homer to get us back on top.”
Notre Dame opened the game with two runs in the top of the first, but Sayre answered in a big way.
Sophomore Olivia Thompson was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and junior Raegan Parrish worked a walk to set the stage for McGaughey’s first home run of the game.
Sophomore Rylee Lantz led off the bottom of the second inning with a double, moved to third on a groundout off the bat of freshman Mikyah Brown, and scored on a bloop RBI-single to left field by junior Mercedez Haggerty to make it 4-2.
After a walk to Thompson, Parrish moved the runners up to second and third base with a groundout, and McGaughey ripped a two-run single into left field to make it 6-2.
Senior Meghan Flynn walked to lead off the bottom of the third inning, but was immediately replaced on the base paths by senior Layla Bennett’s fielder’s choice grounder. After a single by Lantz, Brown flared an RBI single to center field to extend the lead to 7-2.
Sayre tacked on another run on a Notre Dame error to make it 8-2 after three innings.
Sayre committed an error early in the top of the fourth inning to plate Notre Dame’s first run. With two outs, the Crusaders scored five more runs to tie the game at 8-8.
McGaughey gave the Redskins a 9-8 lead with her second round-tripper in the home half of the inning, then the pitching took over.
The Redskins put the game away with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Thompson led off the inning with a single, and scored on an error that put Parrish on second base to make it 10-8.
With one out, freshman Zoey Ward followed with an RBI double, and Flynn cranked an RBI triple to push the advantage to 12-8. Lantz capped the rally with a two-out RBI double by Lantz.
Parrish, who pitched a complete game, pitched around a lead-off single to lock down the win.
McGaughey had three hits, including the two home runs, two runs scored and six RBI, while Lantz had three hits, including two doubles, and two runs scored, and Thompson singled twice, and scored three runs to pace Sayre’s 13-hit attack.
Haggerty singled, scored one run, and had two RBI in the win, while Ward and Flynn each doubled, scored one run, and drove in one run, Bennett singled and scored one run, Brown singled and knocked in one run, and Parrish scored a pair of runs.
Parrish earned the win, allowing eight runs — only two earned — on six hits, while striking out nine and walking two in seven innings.
Sayre, now 3-7, returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Montgomery.
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IN PHOTO 1: Sayre’s Abbie McGaughey. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
