By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
It was quick work for Jacksonville softball on Tuesday. The Lady Red Devils posted 10 runs in the first two innings on their way to a 13-0 blowout win over Little Rock Parkview at Dupree Park.
The Lady Red Devils improved to 9-6 overall and 6-4 in the 6A-East.
Junior starting pitcher Jessica Lanier saw only two innings at the mound before giving way in the third inning to freshman hurler Alexis House, who made an impressive varsity-pitching debut.
“One thing we usually do is start Alexis Oakley at first, but we put Alexis House at first and Lanier at the mound so we could switch them and keep both of them in the game,” said Lady Red Devils coach Tanya Ganey. “We were very pleased with her effort. She has improved a lot, but she still has a lot of improving to do. She held her composure well for her first varsity pitching and did a good job.”
House surrendered Parkview’s only hit of the game, but that runner was forced at second on a groundout. House struck out two more batters to start out the fourth, and forced groundouts to retire the final four batters she faced.
“It was a good night; everybody got to play,” said Ganey. “We got to put some people in some new situations to try and add some depth as we’re getting closer to the state tournament.”
The Lady Devils scored a pair of runs in the second inning before blowing the game open in the third with an eight-run frame.
They added three more runs in the top of the fifth inning (Jacksonville was the visitor on the scoreboard) despite endless substitutions.
Jacksonville plated two runs in the second inning on a single by Lanier that brought in Raven Pickett and Brandi Holder.
Tyler Pickett led off the top of the third with a walk, followed by a single from sophomore Chyna Davis. Pickett scored on an RBI single by shortstop Baylee Herlacher, who came around to score along with Davis on a Jennifer Bock single.
Jacksonville loaded the bases again when Raven Picket reached on an error and Holder walked. Lanier drew a base on balls to score Bock and make it 6-0.
House singled to score Raven Pickett, but Holder was out at the plate on Tyler Pickett’s fielder’s choice bunt. A walk to Davis scored courtesy runner Aja Poole to give the Lady Red Devils an 8-0 lead.
Herlacher had the final hit of the frame when she blooped the ball to right field to score House and Tyler Pickett.
The Lady Red Devils added another run on House’s RBI triple in the fifth. Though House was out at the plate trying to score on Sharee Washington’s grounder, Jacksonville was able to reload the bases on walks to Davis, Tyquia Robinson and Skyler Crafton. Alexis Oakley set the final score when she singled to right center.
House was 3 of 3 batting with a triple and two RBI. Lanier and Herlacher were each 2 of 4 with three RBI
