Raiders take down Clinton

The Midway and Clinton softball teams wrapped up their regular season matchups on Thursday night out at Midway High School. With ideal weather setting the stage, the two teams went to work in a game that was much more competitive than Tuesday’s night. Still, it was the Lady Raiders that pulled away late and seized a 15-5 victory to remain unbeaten in Southeastern Athletic Conference play.

After holding the Lady Dark Horses off in the top of the first, Midway went to work in the bottom. With one out recorded, Kiley Ives launched a ball into center field that escaped the centerfielder and allowed Ives to circle the bases for a 1-0 lead. Kyleigh Stonerock belted a triple into left field and was scored two batters later on a transaction that was initiated by Mollie Bass. Later in the lineup, Jordan Christopher hit an infield grounder that produced an assortment of errors, allowing baserunners Eva McLamb and Sam Carter, who was pinch running for Bass, to score. At the conclusion of the first inning, Midway led 4-0.

Tamia Gwynn made it 5-0 when she hit a line drive into left field that got past the left fielder. The ball was hit well enough that it rolled all the way to the fence, allowing Gwynn had and all of her speed to circle the bases for another run.

Clinton made things interesting in the top of the third, though, when the injury bug seemed to take out a bite out of the Lady Raiders. A pair of them went on the stat sheet and when paired with singles by Brandi Sessoms and Carmella Carlton contributed to runs crossing the plate to make it 5-2.

Midway got those runs back in the bottom of the inning, though, as Bass delivered on an infield grounder and McKenzie Williams served up yet another error-aided inside the park home run to score the pair, making it 7-2.

After that, the error-plagued teams put on a performance that they’d both like to soon forget. With both teams fighting miscues on the defensive side, the score hit 10-5 at the end of the fifth inning. Then, the Lady Raiders put the game away for good in the bottom of the sixth, generating five more runs to reach the 15-5 mercy rule threshold.

Stats weren’t available for the Lady Raiders.

For Clinton, Niah Torres and Carlton led the Lady Dark Horses with three hits apiece. Sessoms had two and Alivia Capps, Emery Johnson, Zannah Royal, Gracin Bass, and Da’Niyah Coxum all had one hit.

With the win, Midway is now 12-2 overall and 6-0 in conference play. They are slated to travel to Red Springs on Wednesday, Harnett Central on Thursday, and then host Red Springs on Friday.

Clinton drops 5-10 overall and 1-4 in league play. They will travel to St. Pauls on Tuesday and then host them on Friday.