MORGANTOWN — The Morgantown High softball team’s losing skid at the start of the month is long gone.
The Mohigans needed just five hits Monday to down Brooke 17-0, in a game that ended after three innings at Mylan Park. MHS (9-5) has now won six of its last seven games.
MHS hitters drew 13 walks. In the first inning alone, the Mohigans scored eight runs, but had two big hits that scored runners. Abigail Harki doubled to right field with the bases loaded, clearing the bases and opening the scoring at 3-0 early on. After the fourth and fifth runs were earned from batters being walked, Grace Robinson slapped a single to left field, but reached third base on an error by the left fielder for the Bruins. Another bases-clearing hit gave Morgantown High an 8-0 advantage.
MHS pitcher Micah Wilson threw just 30 pitches and faced only nine batters.
“I think every game we’ve played, we’ve been in the game, we just weren’t getting those timely hits,” MHS head coach Lorri Lipscomb said of what changed after the three losses in a row. “In a lot of our losses we had opportunities and had runners in scoring position but didn’t come through with a hit.”
Three of the five losses for Lipscomb and her club are by a combined four runs, and they have also beaten crosstown rival University this season for just one of two losses for the 11-2 Hawks.
Of the six wins since the losing streak, the Mohigans have scored double-digit runs in four of them. Including 20 and 17 against Brooke in two separate meetings.
Monday’s result in a good one to begin a tough week for the Mohigans, who will play Wheeling Park, Bridgeport, and John Marshall before the end of the day Saturday.
“We need to polish our short game and make it more consistent,” Lipscomb said. “Playing short, laying bunts down if we need to, moving runners over, and getting those timely hits when we need them. I think defensively we’ve been solid, pitching has been solid also, so it’s just the little things to make sure we earn every run possible.”
The patience shown in Monday’s win will surely help kick-start the short game Lipscomb mentioned, as drawing walks will allow easy base runners for a solid hitting lineup to take advantage of.
MHS will return to ISS Field this evening to host Wheeling Park at 5:00 p.m.
Morgantown 17, Brooke 0
BHS 000 – 0 0 3
MHS 854 – 17 5 0
Morgantown – Alsop 2315, G Robinson 1113, Peterson 2001, Wilson 1000, Harki 2013, Larimer 1110, Wisman 3312, A Robinson, 1301, B Robinson 1102
2B: Harki
HR: Alsop
Brooke – Wood 1000, Brown 1000, Foresha 1000, Bone 1000, McKinney 1000, Lippoli 1000, Whitehead 1000, McQuinston 1000, Dipolo 1000
WP: Wilson 3.0ip 0h 0r 0bb 3K
LP: Bone 2.0 ip 2h 13r 13bb 0k
Drumm 0.2ip 3h 4r 0bb 0k
