Long ball leads Lafayette softball in blowout of Oxford on Strike Out for the Cure night
Published 11:07 pm Tuesday, March 26, 2019
OXFORD – A flurry of runs in a single inning paved the way for the Lady Commodores on Tuesday night, beating cross-town rival Oxford 13-3 in a fifth inning game called by the runs rule.
While a rivalry game played between the schools just miles apart always has meaning, Tuesday’s game meant a little more. Both schools donned special uniforms with pink accents in support of Strike Out for the Cure night, an evening in support of Lily Baker in her battle against leukemia.
Neither team was able to gain control early, with Oxford taking a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the third. That’s when Lafayette blew it wide open.
The Lady Commodores sent 13 girls to the plate in the bottom of that third inning, tacking on eight runs off of six hits to put the game out of reach. The biggest moment came in the heart of the Lafayette lineup, when Madisyn Cobbs and Gracie Dunn hit back-to-back home runs, driving in a combined four runs.
“They’ve been very good this year in the middle of the order. Tonight was a little more,” said Lafayette head coach Katie Jenkins. “My five-hole hitter gets her feelings hurt sometimes having to bat behind those two. I joke with her and say ‘just hit one out Bre.’”
Breanna Holland, the five-hole hitter Jenkins referenced, was fantastic in her own right Tuesday night. There was no long ball in her arsenal, but Holland went 3-3 with an additional walk on the night, all singles. She scored all three times.
In addition to hitting the three-run home run to catapult the big Lafayette inning, Madisyn Cobb was fantastic on the mound for the Commodores. Working the whole five innings, Cobb allowed just five hits, walking one, and three earned runs.
“A lot of it feeds off her teammates playing behind her. Once she gets a few runs on the board, especially her home run, it gets her going,” Jenkins said about her pitcher.” Shockingly, she’s only a tenth grader. People forget that a lot of times. I do to. She still has growing pains out there but she’s using those things and going out there getting stronger.”
It’s a Lafayette squad that certainly has a lot of energy behind Cobb. That energy and juice is something they never lack, Jenkins noted laughing.
Additionally for the Commodores, Chloe Russell went 3-4 on the evening, scoring twice and Caitlyn Rhea went 2-3 on the night with an RBI. The three runs for Oxford came from Tamiya McCarthy, Emonica Booker and a solo home run by Kelsey Wilborn.
Tuesday night marked the final meeting between the two schools on the year, with the majority of the remaining schedules for both teams populated with region games. Lafayette will take the field again on Thursday at home against Saltillo. Oxford’s next game is also Thursday when they play at home against Columbus.