BRYAN – An unearned run proved to be the difference on Saturday evening as the Antwerp Lady Archers posted a 1-0 victory over Ayersville in Division IV district softball action at Bryan.
Antwerp scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the first inning to punch their ticket to Wednesday’s regional game against New Riegel at 5:00 p.m. at Findlay’s Marathon Diamonds.
With bases loaded and one out, Samantha Rigsby’s ground ball resulted in a throwing error to home that allowed Tiera Gomez to score what proved to be the game-winning run.
From there, Archer junior pitcher Carlie Hanes kept the Pilots off of the scoreboard to preserve the victory.
The Pilots, though, would threaten in both the fifth and seventh to tie the game.
In the fifth, Teryn Bour reached with one out on a bunt single before a sacrifice bunt by Kelly Limbaugh moved Bour to second with two outs.
After Bour advanced to third on a passed ball, Hanes got Aubrey Florence to fly out to Emerson Litzenberg in left field to end the threat.
Ayersville made things interesting again in the seventh.
Hanes opened the inning with consecutive strikeouts of Hailey Johnson and Loryn Wright Before Bour again reached on a bunt single.
Bour then stole second and third, putting the tying run 60 feet from home plate.
With two strikes, Limbaugh fouled off a third-strike bunt attempt that gave Hanes her 14th strikeout of the contest and set off an Archer regional bound celebration.
Hanes and the Archer both improved to 17-2 on the season with the win as the Antwerp hurler scattered five hits in the contest.
Hanes, Tiera Gomez and Karsyn Brumett had the only three Archer hits in the contest, all singles.
Bour led all hitters with a pair of singles while Kourtney Lindeman, Chloe Bowen and Loryn Wright all had a single each for Ayersville.
Aubrey Florence suffered the loss for the Lady Pilots, giving up three hits, an unearned run and three walks while striking out seven.
