Lady Dawgs back on track after being Chiefs

A pair of back-to-back District 7-3A victories for Franklin County High School’s varsity fast-pitch softball team on Monday, April 10 cured a number of recent ills for the Lady Bulldogs.

Particularly, the double-header wins at home over Tylertown — 14-4 in the first game and 17-7 in the second — snapped a three-game losing streak that started earlier this month.

FC also saw its season record improve to 11-8 overall, but, most importantly, its district mark grew to 6-1 with the potential for post-season play on the horizon.

The lone remaining regional game for the Lady Dawgs is on the agenda for Thursday, April 13 in a road affair against Wesson’s Lady Cobras.

Franklin dropped a 21-1 decision to Wesson back on March 9 — the team’s lone loss in district play during this year’s campaign.

FC 14, TYLERTOWN 4

In a 10-hit performance with no errors along the way, the Lady Bulldogs took a lead that the visiting Lady Chiefs could not overcome in the first contest of Monday’s double-header.

Franklin County plated three runs in the bottom of the first, two more in the second before scoring five in the third and four in the fourth.

Tylertown, which had two hits and five errors in the affair, saw an offensive spurt in the top of the fourth with four runs.

FC senior pitcher and third baseman Karlee Wallace was an impressive 3-of-3 in terms of hitting with a single, a double and an inside-the-park home run. She scored three runs and accounted for two RBI when the dust settled.

Right fielder Marlee Tindle went 1-of-1 with a single, walked twice and scored a run.

Third baseman and pitcher Jhalayah Tillman finished 2-of-3 for the Lady Dawgs thanks to a pair of singles and she also contributed one run to the winning effort.

Indayshia Morgan, FC’s first baseman, was 1-of-2 with a single, three runs scored and two RBI. She was also hit by a pitch.

Marianna Thomas had a 1-of-3 effort at the plate that saw the shortstop club an inside-the-park homer.

In the end, Thomas reached on an error, scored one run and was credited with a game-high four RBI.

Center fielder Katherine Romero and second baseman Greyonne Queen each went 1-of-3 for the Lady Bulldogs with the duo stroking a single apiece.

Romero, who reached on errors twice, plated two runs and Queen, who also made it to base one time on a Tylertown error, came home once.

Left fielder and then catcher Amberly Wallace did not get a hit, but advanced on a walk and after being hit by a pitch — translating to two runs for the senior.

Starting catcher and then pitcher Sadye Scott, a soon-to-be graduate, went 0-of-3 with an RBI.

From the pitching circle, Karlee Wallace started the game with a three-and-a-third innings effort that resulted in two Tylertown hits and four runs (all earned).

She walked five and struck out five Lady Chiefs during her tenure in facing 17 batters with a 74-38 pitch-to-strike ratio (51.35 percent).

Tillman came in as reliever to face three batters and threw 14 total pitches, which resulted in one walk.

Scott tossed the final two-thirds of an inning for the Lady Bulldogs and faced two batters, issuing no runs nor hits and struck out two. Her pitch-to-strike ratio was 11-6 (54.5 percent).

FC 17, TYLERTOWN 7

Franklin County — thanks to 12 timely hits — built a considerable lead in Monday’s second game with five runs each in the first and third innings, four in the second and three in the fifth.

Tylertown scored a lone run in the top of the first, four in the fourth and two in the fifth on five total hits.

Both teams committed two errors apiece in the contest.

Tillman and Tindle were both 2-of-3 with the former collecting a single and a triple with a walk, one run and one RBI and the latter recording a single and double, a run and one RBI.

Romero and Queen wound up 1-of-2 with the tandem getting a single each.

Romero, who also reached on an error and drew a walk, scored a team-high four runs with an RBI.

Queen, who walked twice, plated three times for Franklin County.

Thomas went 1-of-2 with a double, a walk and was hit by a pitch en route to one run scored and an RBI.

Amberly Wallace finished with a 2-of-4 performance thanks to a pair of singles that resulted in two runs crossing home plate and one RBI.

Morgan, Scott and Karlee Wallace were all 1-of-3 in the contest from the plate.

Morgan singled, drew a walk and reached on an error leading to one run scored and an RBI.

Scott had a single and was hit by a pitch with her courtesy runner — Jessany Harness — coming home twice.

Karlee Wallace clubbed a triple and walked once with a run to her credit and a pair of RBI.

Scott worked three innings as FC’s pitcher and she was tagged for five runs (four of those earned) on four hits while walking two and striking out four.

She faced 20 Tylertown batters with a pitch-to-strike ratio of 59-37 (62.7 percent).

Karlee Wallace worked the final two innings and gave up two runs on one hit. She struck out three and walked three Lady Chiefs.

She took on 13 batters with a pitch-to-strike ratio of 37-21 (56.7 percent).

Between contests during Monday’s twin bill, Franklin County paid tribute to three of its upperclassmen, who will soon graduate and leave the fast-pitch program — Sadye Scott, Amberly Wallace and Karlee Wallace.

• • •

UPCOMING GAMES

On Friday, April 14, Franklin County was scheduled to play host to Brookhaven.

The Lady Dawgs have a road game at South Pike on Monday, April 17 before ending the regular season at home on Tuesday, April 18 against Bogue Chitto.