After an 0-1 start, the Taylor softball team has gone on a tear winning six of their last seven games to improve to 6-2 overall. Senior Lindsay O’Dell has led the Lady Ducks on the mound with 80 strikeouts in seven appearances.
On Tuesday, the Lady Ducks shut out Hendrickson 6-0 and on day one of the Taylor tournament the Lady Ducks took down Holland, 13-2 and Killeen Shoemaker, 4-0.
Against Hendrickson, O’Dell surrendered just one hit while fanning 13. Through seven innings, the Lady Ducks scored two runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings to put away the Lady Hawks.
Junior Mackenzie Watson had a triple and led in driving home half of the Lady Ducks runs. Allison Ortega finished as the heavy hitter of the game, finishing 3-for-4 and scoring once. Senior A’ja Lucas had a triple while driving in a run and scoring. Kennan Nunamaker also finished 2-for-4 in the game with a pair of singles. Emma Whitsel, a speedster on the bases, swiped two bases against the Lady Hawks.
Against Holland, the Lady Ducks scored and scored and scored again leading to a 13-2 thumping. Kennan Nunamaker finished 3-for-3 and scored four of the Lady Ducks runs. O’Dell went 3-for-4 scoring twice and driving in four runs. Ortega had a triple and drove in three additional Taylor runs. Watson went all four innings for the Lady Ducks striking out two and surrendering two hits.
O’ Dell was back on the mond to face Class 6A Killeen Shoemaker. Over five innings and just 57 pitches, O’Dell no hit the Lady Wolves in the 4-0 victory.
Kennan Nunamaker led things off in the first inning with a walk. After Watson advanced Kennan Nunamaker to second base, O’Dell stepped up and tripled putting the Lady Ducks up 1-0. Alyssa Ortiz stepped up and felt the sting of a hit by pitch to put runners at the corners. Kayleigh Page reached base on a ground ball to the shortstop that moved Ortiz to third and brought O’Dell home, extending the Taylor lead to 2-0.
The Lady Ducks finished their scoring for the game in their half of the second inning. Whitsel reached via a base on balls. Base thief Whitsel would take second and third base before Kennan Nunamaker joined her on the bases drawing a walk. A sacrifice bunt by Watson brought Whitsel home and put Taylor up 3-0.
After O’Dell and Ortiz reached base to load things up, Page lined out to right field to score Kennan Nunamaker for the games final run.
The Lady Ducks’ five hits and four runs were enough to grab their sixth win as O’Dell fanned batter after batter.
Taylor continued in their tournament throughout the weekend.
