Casey-Westfield Holds Off Central A & M Rally for 5-4 Tournament Victory

The Casey-Westfield varsity softball team successfully fended off a mid-game surge to secure a 5-4 victory over Central A & M in Saturday’s home tournament matchup. Behind early offensive fireworks and a dominant relief pitching performance, the hosts protected a one-run lead to seal the win.

Casey-Westfield set the pace early, aggressively attacking the basepaths and utilizing the long ball to build a 5-1 advantage over the first three innings. The hosts pushed across two runs in the first inning, added another in the second, and plated a pair in the third. Junior Ella Whitacre supplied the power for Casey-Westfield, launching a home run and driving in two runs on a 1-for-3 afternoon. Sophomore Gabriela Frye was a constant disruptive force, finishing 1-for-2 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a staggering three stolen bases to keep the Central A & M defense off balance.

Trailing 5-1 entering the fourth inning, Central A & M mounted a fierce comeback attempt. Junior Kayla McPeek sparked the visitors with a flawless performance at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a home run, a walk, and a stolen base. Freshman Broklin Justice also collected a pair of hits, while junior B. Jackson added an RBI single. The three-run fourth inning narrowed the deficit to 5-4, putting the pressure back on the home team.

However, Casey-Westfield senior Ava Goble slammed the door shut from the circle. Entering the game in relief of sophomore starter Arhianna Bonds, Goble delivered a masterful 3.1 innings of shutout softball. She allowed just two hits and struck out eight Central A & M batters without issuing a walk to preserve the one-run lead and earn the save. Bonds picked up the win, striking out three over her 3.2 innings of work.

Sophomore R. Hazelwonder took the complete-game loss for Central A & M. Despite settling in to pitch three consecutive scoreless innings to end the game, the early deficit proved too much to overcome. Hazelwonder allowed five runs on six hits while striking out four over six innings.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• 1st Inning: Central A & M takes a 1-0 lead; Casey-Westfield answers with 2 runs in the bottom half.

• 2nd Inning: Casey-Westfield adds 1 run to extend the lead to 3-1.

• 3rd Inning: Casey-Westfield plates 2 more runs, pushing the advantage to 5-1.

• 4th Inning: Central A & M rallies for 3 runs to cut the deficit to 5-4.

Individual Statistics

CASEY-WESTFIELD BATTING:

• Ella Whitacre (Jr): 1-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR

• Gabriela Frye (So): 1-2, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SB

• Anna Karras (Jr): 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 SB

• Ava Goble (Sr): 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 2B

• Arhianna Bonds (So): 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 SB

CENTRAL A & M BATTING:

• Kayla McPeek (Jr): 2-2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 SB

• Broklin Justice (Fr): 2-3

• B. Jackson (Jr): 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI

CASEY-WESTFIELD PITCHING:

• Ava Goble (Sr): 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K (Save)

• Arhianna Bonds (So): 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (Win)

CENTRAL A & M PITCHING:

• R. Hazelwonder (So): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (Loss)