By Sports editor Brian Hoffman
The William Byrd softball team won their first Blue Ridge District game of the season on Tuesday when they hosted William Fleming and took a 16-2 victory.
Byrd has six seniors this season, Maddy Tuck, Keely Hoal, Amber Vaughn, Logan Pekala, Verity Watkins and Elyssa Kitts. Pekala led the offense Tuesday with four hits, including a triple.
Byrd put the game away early with 13 runs in the second inning. Watkins, Pekala, Tuck, Hoal, Haleigh Vaughan and Sydney Blewett all drove in runs for the Terriers, and Tuck had a home run to highlight the explosion.
Chloe Varney was credited with the victory on the mound, surrendering two runs on three hits over three innings while striking out one and walking one. Pekala threw two innings in relief to close out the win as Byrd improved to 6-7 overall.
Byrd had 15 hits in the four innings the Terriers batted before the game was called by slaughter rule.
The win was the second in a row for the Terriers, as they hosted Hidden Valley on Saturday afternoon and banged out 11 hits. Tuck, Hoal, and Haleigh Vaughan all collected multiple hits, including three for Tuck.
Byrd broke the game open with seven runs in the bottom of the fourth. Vaughan tripled, Tuck singled her in and Blewett blasted a home run to highlight the uprising. Varney pitched all five innings before the game was called due to the 10 run rule and she fanned four Titans in picking up the win.
The two wins followed two losses in a busy stretch of softball. On April 20 the girls lost at Bassett, 11-5. The game was tied at 5-5 into the bottom of the sixth but the Bengals scored six in that frame to win.
The Terriers put up three runs in the third inning. Makayla Bell, Hoal and Haleigh Vaughan each had RBIs in the inning, and Bell had a home run.
Varney took the loss, allowing 13 hits and 12 runs while striking out one.
On Friday at Northside the Terriers dropped a 9-4 decision to the host Vikings. Northside broke open a 2-2 game in the home third with two runs and held on to win. Blewett and Vaughan had multiple hit games in the loss. Varney went three innings on the mound and was saddled with the loss.
A busy stretch of softball continued with a non-district game against Cave Spring on Wednesday, and Friday the girls will host Lord Botetourt in a big district game. The Cavaliers came into the week at 9-1 overall and 5-0 in the district.