NEWBURGH – Macee Nicholson pitched a one-hit gem as Bedford North Lawrence won its second game of the two-day Castle Invitational during high school softball action on Saturday.
The Stars (8-4) finished 2-2 in the two-day, 24-team event. BNL stopped Livingston Central 5-2, then dropped a 7-4 decision to Tecumseh in the finale.
Nicholson was sharp. After giving up a one-out single and an unearned run in the first inning, she retired 14 consecutive batters and finished with 7 strikeouts. The Cardinals added another unearned run in the sixth.
”She really pitched well,” BNL coach Brad Gilbert said. “She had her off-speed stuff working, had them guessing. I can’t say enough about how well she pitched against a good hitting team. I’m excited about her effort.”
BNL scored three runs in the first. Ava Ratliff belted a RBI double and Nicholson followed with a two-run single. The Stars added another run in the third as Taylor Pruett doubled and Karsyn Coleman stroked a run-scoring single, then capped their scoring in the fifth on a RBI single by Kendall Graves.
In the finale, the Braves scored four runs in the fourth to take the lead, then added two insurance runs in the seventh.
”They got a couple of key hits, and we didn’t,” Gilbert said. “We had opportunities to score but couldn’t get that extra run in to add on. For us to be within one run, with the game on the line, shows how well we played.”
BNL took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Graves double, then grabbed a 2-1 lead in the third, loading the bases on three singles before Ratliff scored on a wild pitch. After Tecumseh broke loose during its four-run rally (keyed by Alena Holder’s two-run double), the Stars battled within 5-4 as Ratliff belted a two-run double in the fourth.
Graves had two hits against the Braves, while Breann Harris was 3 for 4 for Tecumseh.
During the four-game weekend, Ratliff and Graves had 6 hits each, while Pruett came off the bench to go 3 for 6 with two doubles in three games.
”We had some kids step up,” Gilbert said. “We needed our kids to pitch full games to get some endurance, and they did that.
”Taylor had a great weekend. She put the ball in play and did well. That’s great to see. Coming off the bench is tough, so it’s exciting to see that. If we can’t find places for kids to start, we have some ready to come off the bench and help out.”
BNL will visit New Albany for the Hoosier Hills Conference opener on Thursday.
