By Lori Brown
GRAHAMSVILLE — May 1, 2007 — The Tri-Valley Lady Bears recorded their first shutout of the season on Thursday with a 14-0 non-league win against the visiting Eldred Lady Yellowjackets.
T-V improved its record to 4-2, while Eldred fell to 0-8 on the season.
Both defenses backed up the respective starting pitchers – Eldred’s Ashley Tice and T-V’s Kaylie Ackerley – very well as the game was scoreless after two-and-a-half innings.
The Lady Bears scored twice in the bottom of third, however.
Kayla Scannell slammed a double to center field, sending teammate Karyn Sheeley home with the first run of the game.  Scannell then scored when the next batter, Ackerley, hit a single.
In the top of the fourth inning Eldred’s Steph Berger was walked and then successfully stole second base and third base. But the T-V defense was able to hold Berger at third base while recording the last two outs of the inning.
The Lady Bears added four runs to the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Sheeley earned two RBIs with a single that brought home Skylar Musa and Samantha Santiago.
Scannell then doubled to left field, allowing Samantha Adriaans and Sheeley to cross home plate.
Eldred’s Paulina Renggli reached base on an error in the top of the fifth. She was able to get to third base with help from her Lady Yellowjacket teammates.
But Renggli was stranded at third as the Lady Bear fielders recorded the outs needed to end the inning.
T-V added two runs in the fifth on RBI singles by Santiago and Scannell.
Lady Yellowjacket Sam Alessandra slammed a two-out single to right field in the top of the sixth. But she was unable to make her way around the bases to put Eldred on the scoreboard.
The Lady Bears scored their final six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Bethany Huebsch led off the frame with a single, but due to an error she made it all the way home. Amanda Martin and Laurel Wilsen continued the inning with singles. Martin scored on a passed ball and Wilsen crossed the plate on a base hit by Kayla Raimundo.
With two outs and two runners on base, Scannell slammed the ball into the outfield. The hit allowed Raimundo and Anneliese Hartman to score, but Scannell was held at third base by T-V Coach Mary Feusner.
Scannell scored the final run of the afternoon when Ackerley hit the ball right past second base.
In the top of the seventh, Ackerley seemed to be getting a little tired. With two outs and a 3-0 count on a Lady Yellowjacket batter, Feusner called a timeout.
With a little encouragement from her coach, Ackerley came back to strike out that player and earn the complete game victory.
“It’s been a rough season between the weather and the different mix of kids this year,” Eldred Coach Jolene Porter said. “This year we have younger and older kids mixed together.
“We are doing the best we can,” Porter added. “We were making a lot of errors today.  Our hitting was good, but we hit it right into their gloves.
“We have a senior pitcher, Ashley Tice, who’s been pitching for four years on the varsity level, and a ninth-grader catcher, Jillian Harris, and so it is all a learning process
Feusner noted that the Lady Bears “had good, timely hits.”
“Kaylie Ackerley pitched well and gave up two hits today,” Feusner said. “Eldred was putting the ball in play, but Kaylie’s defense helped her out.”
Ackerley also helped herself defensively, recording seven assisted putouts.
“I am pleased when we can get all the players into the game,” Feusner commented. “I like my team members, because they play all different positions and when substitutes come into the game we don’t lose any talent.”