Corinth Holders softball blasts Smithfield-Selma 22-2
Corinth Holders came to the plate swinging hot bats in its Two Rivers 3A softball opener with Johnston County rival Smithfield-Selma.
And that wasn’t good news for the Spartans.
Rebecca Parker had two homers with four RBIs in the same inning while Aiyana Campbell was 5-for-5 with a double and five RBIs, leading the Pirates to a 22-2 romp that was stopped after five innings on run differential.
Amanda Gillis was the winning pitcher.
The result improved the Pirates, who have never lost to SSS, to 5-3 on the season while the Spartans dropped to 3-6.
“We played solidly,” Corinth Holders coach Jessica Potter said. “Our bats are coming back. We had had a lull a couple of weeks ago, but we’ve been working a lot on plate discipline. (Gillis) got some experience on the mound tonight and that was good for her.”
Turning point
Leading 3-0 after one inning, the Pirates sent 12 batters to the plate in a nine-run second.
Parker got her homers in that inning. leading off with a solo down the left-field line and later a three-run blast to the power alley in left center.
They said it
“We started seeing the ball better later in the game,” SSS coach Wes Hill said. “We did not want to lose tonight, but Corinth was hitting the ball really well. They’re a good team.”
Three who mattered
Rebecca Parker, Corinth Holders: The sophomore third baseman picked up her second and third homers of the season.
“I got a couple of pitches right down the middle,” Parker said. “We played a real good game tonight.”
Aiyana Campbell, Corinth Holders: The junior shortstop had the rare 5-for-5 night.
Amanda Gillis, Corinth Holders: The junior pitcher collected her second victory of the season.
“I was OK,” Gillis said. “I just walked too many people (six walks). But my fastball was pretty good tonight.”
By the numbers
3: The number of times the Pirates batted around in an inning. They sent 12 batters to the plate in the second, 10 in the third and 10 in the fifth.
3: The number of Corinth Holders players to score at least three runs.
4: The number of runs scored by the Pirates’ Hanna Mizell, who was 3-for-4 with a fielder’s choice and a stolen base.
Looking ahead
The Pirates host conference rivals Triton on Tuesday and South Johnston on Thursday.
SSS hosts West Johnston on Monday and then travels to Western Harnett on Tuesday.
“I think this game will make us work harder and help us win some down the road,” Langston said. “This was just a rough night.”
Added teammate Alexia Sutton, “We’ve won a few games already. This wasn’t a good night for us, but I feel like we can be a lot better.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 1:06 AM with the headline "Corinth Holders softball blasts Smithfield-Selma 22-2."