Monday afternoon’s non-districe softball matchup between Cave Spring and William Byrd was a contest defined by rallies.
In the end, the Lady Knights got the two that counted most as Cave Spring outlasted William Byrd 6-3 in 8 innings at Terrier Field.
Trailing 2-1 and down to their last out in the top of the seventh, Cave Spring rose from the ashes when Knight first baseman Kinsey Overfelt launched a monster solo homer over the center field fence that tied things at 2.
After Cave Spring starting pitcher Cassi Parulis blanked the Terriers in the bottom of the seventh, the Knights rallied again with four runs in their half of the 8th to put the game away.
The Cave Spring bats, quiet most of the afternoon, came alive in the extra frame against Terrier starter Mara Strum who took the tough-luck loss.
Kacie Sheperd started on second for Cave Spring in the special extra inning format, and was sacrificed to third by Hailey Sitze. Alayna Francis followed with a single that scored Sheperd and Abby Beatty doubled to left to put runners at second and third. Kylie Kent hit a RBI single to make it 4-2 and Parulis helped her own cause with a 2-run single that completed the 4-run uprising.
For William Byrd, it was an afternoon of wasted opportunities.
The Terriers loaded the bases in the first with one out, but failed to score. They also had a runner at third in the next three innings without getting across the plate.
“You’ve got to score when you have a runner on third,” Byrd head coach Greg Bartin said afterward. “We’re a young team and we’re getting better. We looked to be in good shape until the home run tied it up. Give the Cave Spring girl credit, it was not a good pitch that she hit out.”
Cave Spring got on the board first in the fourth inning after Francis singled, stole second and scored on a Pami White single.
Byrd rallied in the sixth to take a 2-1 lead. Singles by Nataleigh Brown and Madison Bailey, followed by a wild pitch, put Terrier runners at second and third. A fielders choice plated one run before Alexis West sent a drive to left that scored the go-ahead Byrd run.
That set the stage for the never-say-die Lady Knight rally.
“It’s early in the season and we’re still working things out,” Parulis, who picked up her second straight win in the circle for the 2-0 Knights, said. “I pitched OK today. My teammates really stepped up to pull out the win.”
Parulis led the Knight hitters with 2 hits and 2 RBIs, while Francis added two hits.
West, Amber Ewers and Strum each had two hits for the Terriers.
Bill Turner
