High school softball: Bats booming as Falcons net another victory
Published 2:44 am Saturday, May 13, 2023
- West Rowan pitcher Araballe Shulenburger. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Staff report
MOUNT ULLA — West Rowan’s softball and volleyball rosters have a lot in common.
Emma Clarke, Ashlee Ennis, Madelyn VonCanon, Brooke Kennerly, Karsen Simpson.
Those are West girls who have been around for a while and had their last two volleyball seasons ended in the 3A state playoffs by the Fred T. Foard Tigers.
Some measure of payback was extracted against the girls from Newton in Friday’s second-round softball playoff game.
Fourth-seeded West routed the 13th-seeded Tigers 14-1 in five innings. That’s the equivalent of a 25-10, 25-10, 25-10 volleyball sweep.
West Rowan wrestlers also will like that outcome. The Falcons probably were denied a state title when they fell in a close match with eventual state champ Fred T. Foard.
West (20-3-1) has won 15 in a row and has been playing very good softball for a while.
The Falcons wasted no time against Foard. In the bottom of the first, Ennis, Clarke and Kennerly got things started with three consecutive hits to trigger a five-run inning.
In the second inning, the Falcons scored four more runs to make it 9-0. Clarke launched a two-run homer.
West kept mashing and finished with 12 hits (plus five HBPs or walks), while making 12 outs. That’s a ratio that will win every time.
Ennis scored four runs and had three hits. Kennerly had two hits. VonCanon scored two runs. Clarke was 3-for-3 with four runs and four RBIs.
EA Nance had a double and a single and drove in three runs. Riley Haggas had two hits. Ella Doby scored two runs.
In the circle, Arabelle Shulenberger continued to throw strikes. She struck out six while walking one and allowed five hits.
Next for the Falcons will be a home game against fifth-seeded East Lincoln, the champion of the league that Fred T. Foard finished second in..
East Lincoln beat Pisgah 5-1 on Friday.
Fred T. Foard (15-5) split its games with East Lincoln (19-1).
East Lincoln is another interesting opponent for the Falcons, at least for Clarke., who also stars in basketball. West has had basketball showdowns with East Lincoln the last two seasons and is 1-1.
See photo gallery from game here https://www.salisburypost.com/2023/05/15/photo-gallery-west-clobbers-fred-t-foard-in-softball-playoffs/
