After last week’s late-season snowfall and subsequent swamped playing fields, the girls of the diamond were more than ready to return to action by the end of the week.
Only one problem- someone forgot to turn off the wind.
With strong, chilly breezes blowing straight out to center, Cave Spring Field became a hitter’s paradise as the Knights defeated Northside 15-10 in a non-district softball matchup that saw 7 home runs decisively leave the yard.
“It was a great game for scoring runs,” long-time Northside head coach Lynn Richmond noted afterward, still wearing earmuffs and agreeing it was a wind-blown endurance test. “Both teams really played hard.” The loss was Northside’s first of the season after six wins.
Cave Spring first-year head coach Nick Sharp echoed those sentiments. “Both teams were swinging the bat well. In these conditions that means a lot of runs.”
After a scoreless first inning, the home run jubilee took off in the second.
Morgan Bruce gave Northside its only lead of the game when she sent a pitch deep over the fence for a 1-0 Viking advantage.
Cave Spring wasted no time answering in their half of the second. Kylie Kent got things started with a solo shot to tie things at 1-1. After two singles, a double and 2 fielder-choices plated 3 Lady Knight runs, Cortney Cooper launched a two-run shot to complete the six-run frame for Cave Spring.
Northside cut the lead to 6-5 after a Ruthie Williams two-run homer in the third and a Kelsey Jarrett two-run blast in the fourth.
The Lady Knights responded with two runs in their half of the fourth, keyed by a Abby Beatty triple.
Viking catcher Taylor Grubb went deep with two outs in the Northside fifth, cutting the Viking deficit to 8-6, before Cave Spring plated four more runs in the bottom half after a two-out bases-loaded double by Cooper was followed by run-scoring singles from Pami White and Kent to put the Knights up 12-6.
Cave Spring added three in the sixth, including a two-run homer by Alayna Francis. Northside finished with four runs in the seventh as the never-give-up Vikings started to make things interesting in comeback fashion.
Cave Spring starting pitcher Taylor Asimakopoulos went the distance in the circle to pick up the win.
Afterward, when Asimakopoulos was asked if she had ever been the starter, given up four homers and ten runs, and still finished a game to pick up the victory, she mused the question before answering with a chuckle, “I can’t say I have.”
BILL TURNER game story/photos
