The much anticipated matchup between the Cole Camp and Lincoln softball teams on Tuesday in Lincoln ended in a 14-2 victory for the Lady Cardinals.
Braylin Paxton allowed only 1 hit but had a wild streak in the third as she hit 2 batters and walked 3 producing the Bluebirds first run.
Lincoln scored 4 in the first, 1 in the third and 9 in the fourth to bust things open. Cole Camp made 10 errors in the contest that led to the wide margin in the end.
Emma Thayer took the loss for Cole camp giving up 11 hits and 5 earned runs, striking out 3 and walking 3. Paxton pitched the 5 inning affair giving up 1 hit with 1 earned run, striking out 8 and walking 8. She threw 107 pitches and 58 strikes. Thayer threw 57 strikes out of 91 pitches over her 4 innings.
The Lincoln defense made only 1 error which was a pickoff throw from first to third that got away scoring Cole Camp's second run of the contest in the fifth inning.
Rebekah Helland, moved into the cleanup spot, drove in 2 runs in the first on a solid double to centerfield. An error would score a run and a ground out by Greenlea Harms scored the fourth tally
Danika Gillespie grounded out in the third to make it 5-1.
Then the explosion happened in the fourth as Alyssa Mellen, Courtney Stephens, Helland, Paxton and Skylar Arbuckle.all drove in runs. The freshman shortstop (Arbuckle) had a textbook single as she reached out and poked the ball to left field between the infielders on a low inside pitch.
Lincoln senior catcher Lexi Dulaban was honored by Lincoln before the game on Senior Night. She will be hard to replace next season and will be hard to forget as there is a road named after her family on Highway 65 that you pass on the way to Lincoln from Warsaw.
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The day before, on Monday, the Lady Cardinals traveled to Adrian to face the Lady Blackhawks and came up on the short end of a 10-8 score.
The Lady Cardinals jumped out in the first scoring two runs. Cadence Harvey hit a 2-run double with one out scoring Courtney Stephens, who reached on an error. Lexi Dulaban singled in Rebekah Helland who singled on an infield hit.
However, Adrian would come right back with 3 of their own in their half of the first. Adrian tallied another run in the second to make it 4-2. The Lady Cardinals roared back with 3 in the third to take a 5-4 lead. Dulaban singled on a line drive up the middle and Harvey scored on the throw. Dulaban scored on a passed ball and Greenlea Harms singled to score Cook, the courtesy runner, for the pitcher Braylin Paxton.
However, once again, the Lady Blackhawks would come roaring back scoring 5 in their turn at the plate in the third. They added a run in the fifth before the Lady Cardinals made a failed comeback with 2 in the seventh. Harms scored on a ground out by Alyssa Mellen after Danika Gillespie scored on an error by the catcher.
Paxton gave up 9 hits and 5 earned runs,striking out 8 and walking 6. She hit 2 batters and threw 82 strikes out of 136 pitches.
Kaydence Enos received the win going 7, giving up 12 hits, 3 earned runs, striking out 8 and walking 2. Enos threw 133 pitches with 89 strikes.
Lincoln made 5 errors while Adrian committed 7 miscues. Lincoln, with the victory over Cole Camp on Tuesday, moved to 10-8 while the Lady Bluebirds fell to 8-10.
Rain washed out Cole Camp's game with Warsaw on Thursday.
