Elizabethton defended homefield on Wednesday evening.
The Lady Cyclones outlasted Cloudland for a 12-8 in a nonconference county matchup in Elizabethton on Wednesday.
Cloudland’s offense set the early tone as Regan Blair and Eowyn McCoury scored off a Layken Blair single to give CHS a 2-0 lead. After Peyton Preswood drew a walk to load the bases, Reagan Turbyfill hit a single that scored Alya Horney and Blair to give the Lady ‘Landers a 4-0 lead after the first frame.
Elizabethton, however, battled back.
Mikinna Blackwell hit a single that plated Sadie Williams, and Adrian Heading and Macie Reed scored off a Brook Sparks single to pull within one with one out. Piper Bennett and Lilly McDuffie reached base via a walk and hit, respectively, to load the bases for the Lady Cyclones.
After Sparks stole home plate to even things up at 4-4, Williams drew a walk to give EHS a 5-4 lead after an inning of play.
The Lady ‘Landers were unable to get anything going in the top of the second, and EHS saw Bennett and McDuffie drive runs across to increase the lead to 7-4 in the second.
The Lady Cyclones added a single run in the third before adding three more in the bottom of the fourth – including two runs that came after Kaitlyn Gryder put the ball in play in left field.
Cloudland countered in the fifth as Horney and Preswood drove runs across to close the CHS gap to 11-5 heading to the home side of the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, Bennett pushed Heading across the plate to add a run to the EHS lead.
Cloudland counted for the final score with two runs in the seventh as L. Blair and Horney scored off a Savannah McCoury single.
Blackwell and McDuffie had two hits and an RBI for Elizabethton, while Gryder and Sparks had two RBI and a hit. Jozey Reece and Heading added two hits.
In the pitching circle, Lacey Gobble struck out five batters and allowed two earned runs on six hits in six innings of work.
Blair and S. McCoury led Cloudland with two hits and two RBI. Turbyfill had two RBI and a hit. E. McCoury had two hits.
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