Lakeside too much for Lady Tigers

EPHRATA — The Lady Tigers were beaten by the Lakeside Eagles 13-4 in softball action Friday afternoon. While the Tigers did manage to score by running the bases aggressively, they had trouble with Lakeside pitcher Lacey Jordan, who allowed only five hits in the game.

Trailing 3-0 in the top of the third inning, Lakeside took advantage of six walks and a pair of hit batsmen to take control of the game. Despite not earning a hit in the inning, the Eagles put up seven runs in the frame.

Down 10-0, the Tigers began to settle into the pace of the game, outscoring Lakeside 4-3 to end the game.

"Its a very young team," said Ephrata coach Heather Wood. "I don't think they've figured out how to stay up the whole game."

Ephrata finally got going in the bottom of the inning, when leadoff batter Lauren Lynch beat out the throw to first, then took second base on a fielding error by the Lakeside first baseman. Robin Herring was then hit by a pitch to give the Lady Tigers runners at first and second.

Holly Nelson followed with a single to right, and when the right fielder misplayed the ball Lynch took advantage to score Ephrata's first run of the game.

Then, Holly Hubbard dropped a squeeze bunt down the third baseline, hoping to score Herring on the play. Herring was called out at the plate on a very close play.

Ephrata picked up another run in the fourth with a series of hustle plays. Tia Riggs reached first when the Lakeside first baseman's foot came off the bag. With two out and Riggs on third, Lea Dilling was safe as the first baseman was again forced to come off the bag to field the throw. Riggs came home on the play, making the score 10-2.

The Lady Tigers tacked on another run in the sixth when Kaylyn Bossert singled to lead off the inning. Bossert moved from first to third on a Riggs groundout, and when a pitch to Andrea Tafoya got past the Lakeside catcher, Bossert came home for Ephrata's third run of the game.

Lakeside would respond in the seventh, ripping a bases-clearing triple down the line in left to jump ahead 13-3.

Ephrata would collect their final run on a Holly Hubbard RBI-double to the gap in right that scored Herring from third base. Hubbard's double was Ephrata's first and only extra-base hit off Lakeside's Jordan.

"She was very dominant," said Wood. "She had a lot of speed that we haven't yet faced."

"We made some good contact," Wood added. "At least we made them field and make throws."

The Ephrata junior varsity team picked up their first win of the season with a 15-13 victory over Lakeside.