The Mathews High School varsity baseball and softball teams both won in dramatic fashion in their home openers on Tuesday night, with walk-off hits to seal the wins. Both teams posted 5-4 victories over the visiting Northumberland Indians.
Baseball
The MHS boys were trailing, 4-2, in the bottom of the seventh. Will Jackson led off with a hit. Timmy Dehoux reached on an error. After Noah Wright flied out, Ethan Hudgins reached on a fielder’s choice. With two outs, Aidan West reached on an error, loading the bases.
Dawson Adams was hit by a pitch, making the score 4-3. Daniel Moughon walked to tie the score and Brady Wright hit a pop-up that the pitcher dropped, scoring the winning run.
Softball
The MHS girls’ game was just as exciting. After Mathews took an early 2-0 lead, the two teams battled back and forth, knotting the game at 4-4 at the end of seven innings of play.
In the bottom of the eighth, Aly Jackson hit a walk-off single to drive in Emily West (who doubled) with the winning run. West was the winning pitcher, going all eight innings, striking out six and giving up just one earned run. Reese Brock went 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple and two RBIs. Christiana Wood hit a double off the top of the fence. Morgan Crittenden also hit a double.
Tournament
On Friday and Saturday, the MHS girls took part in a tournament at the Lancaster Dream Fields, winning Friday’s game against Southampton Academy, 6-4.
West was the winning pitcher, striking out two in a seven-inning performance. She also helped out her effort with a home run. Also contributing hits were Brock (double, RBI), Jackson (single, two RBIs) and Olivia Coons (two singles). Southampton had bases loaded with no outs, but didn’t score to save the win for Mathews.
Mathews wasn’t so fortunate on Saturday, as the Devils got shut out by St. Margaret’s School and King William by 2-0 and 3-0 margins, respectively.
“Looking at the game results, one would think it wasn’t a great day,” said MHS softball coach J.J. Ashberry. “But, as the coach, it was a rewarding experience to see the seven-inning fight our girls put forth into each game.”
“We faced two of the best pitchers locally and as each inning passed we got better and better adapting to the speeds those girls were pitching.”
Against St. Margaret’s, Mathews picked up one hit, an infield single by Jackson. West pitched seven innings, striking out three and only giving up one walk.
Against King William, Crittenden pitched her first complete game as a varsity pitcher. She struck out two and walked one. She also contributed a single as well as West and Coons both with singles.