Posted: Feb 06, 2016
Softball rallies to beat Calhoun in season opener, 5-4
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com
Poplarville, MS - Coach Andy Kirk had high expectations for Lane Kennedy coming into the season and the freshman from Smithville delivered in the Indians' 5-4 season opening victory over Calhoun (AL) in the Pearl River Tournament on Saturday.
Kennedy went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored, a RBI and a stolen base in her collegiate debut.
ICC (1-0) fell behind 4-3 on a solo home run from Abigail Haught but rallied to tie the game when Addie Thompson (Hamilton) scored from first on a perfectly executed hit-and-run that turned into a double by Alex Brown (Pontotoc).
Kennedy doubled over the head of the left fielder with one out in the top of the seventh to put the go-ahead in scoring position. Sophomore shortstop Kaitlin Bradley (Columbus) stepped up in the clutch with a double off the centerfield wall to push across Kennedy for the eventual game-winning run.
Bradley went 2-for-4 as the Indians totaled eight hits in the game.
Calhoun (1-2) put the tying run on first after the Indians' second error of the afternoon was shortly erased when Brown's snap throw from home to Kennedy at first picked off the Warhawk runner. Carleigh Mills (Kossuth) recorded her second strikeout of the game to seal the season-opening victory for the Indians.
Mills went the distance in the victory giving up three earned runs on six hits and a walk.
The Indians jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first after Kennedy scored on a wild pitch and Bre Harford (Southaven) singled and scored on a sac fly by Mamie Hollenhead (Mathiston). Calhoun answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Taylor Blevins (Columbus), running for Mary Kansas Sullivan (Houston), who drew a walk to start the second inning, scored on a double by Kennedy, but Calhoun took advantage of an error to tie the game.
ICC will face the No. team LSU-Eunice Bengals (6-1) in the third game of the Pearl Rive Tournament before traveling to Co-Lin for a Sunday afternoon doubleheader in Wesson.
For more information on ICC softball follow ICC Athletics (@LetsGoICC).
