Bay Softball drops road matchup at Avon Lake, 17-7
Bay opened with an early lead and got another strong day at the plate from Lizzie McFarland, but Avon Lake pulled away with a pair of big innings in a 17-7 loss to the Rockets on Wednesday at Avon Lake High School.
The decisive stretch came in the middle innings. After Bay battled back to tie the game at 3 in the second, Avon Lake answered in the bottom half and then added to the margin in the third before breaking it open with a seven-run fourth. Briana Webster’s grand slam and Carmen McMinn’s second home run of the day highlighted the inning that put the Shoregals firmly in control.
Bay struck first in the top of the first when Aleiyha Aponte delivered a single to bring home the game’s opening run. Avon Lake answered quickly, taking a 3-1 lead in the bottom half on an error and A. Dunleavy’s two-run double. The Rockets responded in the second. McFarland lined a single to help even the score, and Olivia Stehlik added a sacrifice fly as Bay briefly erased the early deficit.
McFarland was Bay’s top offensive performer, going 3 for 3 with a double, a pair of singles and multiple key swings as the Rockets finished with seven hits. She singled in the second and fourth innings, then doubled in the fifth. Bay also showed discipline at the plate, drawing five walks over the course of the game.
Avon Lake regained momentum in the second when two runs scored on an error, then Erin Dean added a run-scoring double to extend the lead to 7-3. The Shoregals kept pressure on in the third with an RBI single from M. Sitling and a home run to left by McMinn. In the fourth, Avon Lake sent the game out of reach. G. Kugler drew a bases-loaded walk, Webster followed with a grand slam to left, and McMinn added a two-run homer.
Lucy Corbett took the loss for Bay, allowing nine runs, four earned, on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings with two strikeouts and no walks. Avon Lake starter Kugler earned the win, giving up seven hits and four runs over 3 2/3 innings while striking out two and walking one. Avon Lake finished with 11 hits, with Webster, McMinn, Dean and Sitling collecting two apiece. McMinn went 2 for 4 with four runs scored and four RBIs.
Bay next travels to face Olmsted Falls on Thursday.
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