Published: 10:55 PM, Thu Apr 05, 2012
South View softball jumps on Jack Britt, holds on for 5-2 win
South View's game plan for Thursday's matchup against Jack Britt was simple: score early; hold the lead.
The Tigers checked both those goals off the list en route to a 5-2 win over the Buccaneers.
South View coach Kellie Aldridge said she felt gaining early ground was imperative after her team eked out a late-inning win over Jack Britt in the teams' first meeting March 13.
"We won that game in the top of the seventh inning with two outs," Aldridge said. "We wanted to get ahead early today and play good defense. You can't ever feel comfortable against Jack Britt."
Tigers' center fielder Kaila Ramos provided the early boost, knocking a three-run homer over the left-center field fence in the first inning and scoring April Costa and Miah Nash with two outs to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Ramos finished the night 2-3.
South View added two more runs in the third.
Designated hitter Aniya Bilal started the inning with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Britt's McKenzie Weaver.
Ramos hit a double that scored Bilal and then crossed home herself on a single by Mariah Wharton.
"I wanted to come out and hit the ball hard early to help my team," Ramos said. "We felt like we needed to prove that we deserved to lead the conference."
Britt and South View had just a single Mid-South 4-A Conference loss before the start of the game, making the contest a key step in each team's season.
With the win, the Tigers improve to 8-1 in the Mid-south and 11-4 overall.
South View has handed the Bucs (12-2, 6-2) their only two losses of the season.
South View pitcher April Costa pitched six innings, allowing nine hits and striking out eight.
Britt showed life late in the game with runs in the fifth and seventh innings. But the late offense wasn't enough to overcome the Bucs' early errors.
Britt booted balls in the first and third innings during Tiger rallies.
"Leadership is what we're struggling with right now," Britt coach Sebrina Wilson said. "We've struggled with defense all year. One person makes a mistake and no one wants to step up and say, 'I want the ball to be hit to me.'"
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com. South View 5, Jack Britt 2
Jack Britt
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010
1-293
South View
302
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x-5102
Weaver, Thomas (5) and M. Mercier. Costa and Nash. WP - Costa (11-4, 8-1). LP - Weaver (12-2, 6-2).
Leading hitters: JB - Harris 4-4 (2B, run, RBI); C. Harris 2-4 (2B). SV - Ramos 2-3 (HR, 2B, 4 RBIs); Nash 2-4 (run, 2 1Bs)
Records: Jack Britt 12-2, 6-2; South View 11-4, 8-1