Mount Ayr Community’s Raiders opened the season with a win and a loss in their first two games.
The girls downed Villisca 3-1 in a non-conference opener Tuesday, May 22, then dropped the Pride of Iowa conference opener to East Union 6-4 in Afton Friday, May 25.
Mount Ayr Community 3, Villisca 1
Mount Ayr Community relied on a strong pitching performance from Shelbie Greene to post a 3-1 season opening win over the visiting Villisca Bluejays on Tuesday, May 22.
Greene took a no-hitter into the seventh before the Bluejays made things interesting scoring one run and having the tying runs on base with just one out. Greene got the final two Bluejays on a strikeout and a pop-up to end the threat and pick up her first victory of the season.
Greene fanned eight and walked one in seven innings of work.
The Bluejays’ Abbey Wallingford was the tough luck loser as she allowed only one hit, walked three and struck out five on Tuesday.
Billi Stark doubled and Megan Doubleday and Shelby Wambold scored the first two runs of the season in the bottom of the second to give the Raiderettes an early 2-0 lead.
The Raiderettes added a third run in the fourth without getting a hit. Amanda Perrigo walked and scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 3-0 after 4 innings.
East Union handed the Raiderettes their first POI defeat 6-4 in Afton on Thursday, May 24.
“We made some mental and physical mistakes early,” confessed coach Josh Vanderflught. “We played well late, but we can not wait that long to get focused and ready to play the game.” Shelbie Greene suffered the loss giving up four hits, striking out eight and walking no one on Thursday. The Eagles Stacia Bryson was the winning pitcher going seven innings on the mound. She was charged with eight hits, walked none and fanned three Raiderettes.
The Eagles pretty much controlled the game for the first five innings. Stacia Bryson doubled and scored in the second as the home team took a 2-0 lead. The Raiderettes committed three errors leading to two more Eagle runs in the bottom of third.
The Eagles increased the lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth as Kelsey Hoff singled and scored on a fielders choice. Rochelle Means was hit by a pitch and advanced on an error and scored on Amber Friend’s single in the bottom of the fifth to give East Union a 6-0 advantage.
The Raiderette bats came alive in the top of the sixth allowing Mount Ayr Community to score four times. Paige Daughton singled, Taylor Lynch was safe on an error, Amanda Perrigo tripled, Billi Stark singled, Megan Doubleday was safe on another Eagle miscue and the Raiderettes were within two heading into the bottom of the sixth.
In the top of the seventh, Paige Daughton was retired on a great play by the home team and after Brook Rychnovsky singled, Taylor Lynch was retired on a fine running catch by the Eagle center fielder to end the game.
Brook Rychnovsky and Shelby Wambold had two hits each to lead the Raiderette attack and Taylor Lynch, Amanda Perrigo, Paige Daughton, and Billi Stark added one apiece for the Raiderettes.