SADLER — After batting ninth in the last game, Lilly Nunn moved up a spot in the order and showed how deep the Lady Rams’ lineup can be.
Nunn clubbed a pair of home runs, drove in five and scored three times as S&S extended its winning streak to seven by run-ruling Pilot Point, 20-0, in three innings to open District 10-3A play.
“She sees better pitching at the bottom of the lineup,” S&S head coach Brandy Courville said. “She was on varsity last year but didn’t get a lot of at-bats. People don’t know her name yet.”
Hayden Mowrey was perfect in the circle with eight strikeouts and 2-for-3 with a double, triple, four RBI and scored, Hayden Kight doubled and drove in a pair, Bri Fowler doubled, walked and scored twice, Lana Walters doubled, was hit by a pitch, drove in two and scored twice, Makayla Adams singled, walked, drove in a run and scored twice and Denley Blankenship walked twice and scored twice, for S&S (13-4, 1-0), which plays at Paradise on Saturday afternoon.
“We talked about needing to stay disciplined, to jump on your pitch,” Courville said. “There were a lot of extra-base hits in there. It’s always good to start off district with a win.”
Scarlett Bush was the only Lady Bearcats to put the ball in play for Pilot Point (3-7, 0-1), which hosts Valley View on Saturday.
Mowrey, who threw 27 of her 39 pitches for strikes, cruised through her three innings, striking out the side in the first and third. Bush popped out to second to lead off the second inning before a pair of strikeouts.
It was the second straight perfect game for Mowrey, who has notched 17 strikeouts among the 24 outs in that span. In her last 11 innings, she has struck out 24.
S&S has notched three straight shutouts, outscoring opponents 40-0, and four in the past six games. It was the sixth time this season the lineup has produced at least 14 runs and five have come during the winning streak.
“The bats are still hot. Excited to see that,” Courville said. “I hope we stay hot. That’s a game-changer.”
The Lady Rams enacted the early run-rule when they put up 11 runs in the second inning.
After an out to begin the frame, the next 10 batters reached in some fashion to score.
Fowler and Blankenship walked and an error loaded the bases. Everybody was safe on Hannah Foster’s groundout to second as Lillie Kirby tried to get the force at home but her throw was late.
Walters dunked a two-run double just inside the right-field line and Foster scored while Walters was escaping a rundown between second and third.
Dowell hit a grounder to second which drove in a run to make it 14-0 and she was safe at first on an error. Another error brought in a run before Mowrey’s RBI double to left.
Kight doubled to left-center as S&S went ahead 17-0.
Macey Airhart singled to put runners at the corners and courtesy runner Marley Lunde raced home on a dropped third strike.
Nunn closed out the scoring with her two-out, two run homer to left.
S&S sent 13 Lady Rams to the plate in the bottom of the first to build a 9-0 advantage.
Walters was hit by a pitch to open the inning before walks by Dowell and Adams loaded the bases.
Mowrey cleared them with a three-run triple to right center and she scored on Kight’s sac fly to left.
Fowler one-hopped a double off the center field fence, stole third and Blankenship walked to set up Nunn’s three-run homer to left-center for a 7-0 lead. The blast came on the first pitch after a dropped pop-up would have made Nunn the second out of the inning.
Foster bunted for a hit, stole second and scored on Dowell’s triple just inside the right-field line.
Adams ended the scoring in that inning with her RBI single in the hole at shortstop. Jason Della Rosa / Herald Democrat
By Jason Della Rosa, Herald Democrat SADLER — After batting ninth in the last game, Lily Nunn moved up a spot in the order and…
