NMCC softball defeats Charleston for first win of the season

NEW MADRID, Mo. — In a high-scoring showdown on the softball diamond, New Madrid County Central emerged victorious with a commanding win over Charleston at Eagle Park.

The Lady Eagles (1-6) showcased their explosive offensive firepower and unwavering determination during the 15-7 victory over the Lady Bluejays (0-4).

“I was most impressed with our ability to be patient at the plate and our bounce back defensively,” said NMCC coach Matt Hartman. “We made some costly errors today. Our girls would admit that those were all silly. We can’t drop fly balls and that's not usually something we do. However, the girls rallied after all of the errors and finished with minimal damage done.”

Laura Johnson earned the win after five innings of work. She allowed three earned runs on three hits with eight strikeouts and eight walks.

Emma Howard pitched the final two innings and didn’t allow any earned runs or hits with a strikeout and two walked batter.

“Johnson was steady in the circle and she helped us at the plate,” Hartman said. “She threw over 100 pitches again today and she has been super coachable. She has been thrown into the fire as a freshman and she has handled it well. Howard was good in relief and finished up not giving up a single hit. She asked to try to pitch a week ago and has worked effectively in three games now. She is a super fun kid who will do just about anything to win.”

The Lady Eagles' top performers at the plate were Johnson (3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs), Ashley Byrne (3-for-4 with four RBIs and a run), and Miley Cook (2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs).

“[Bryne] had a clutch single with two outs that plated two runs,” Hartman said. “That was the spark that ignited our rally in the fifth inning. Cook was big for us as well. She had a 14-pitch at bat and ended it with an RBI single.

“We faced a good pitcher,” Hartman continued. “We were intimidated at first. But, our kids settled in and hit the ball solidly for the last five innings. Until today we have yet to have quality at-bats versus a pitcher of her quality. We battled today and were patient. We finally put pressure on the base paths and ran a little. It freed up our hitters and the dugout was big for us. We had 19 quality at-bats today, which give us a chance to be successful. Overall it was a huge team win considering the adversity we have faced with injuries.”

Sarah Humphrey took the loss after throwing six innings and allowing four earned runs on eight hits with 16 strikeouts and eight walked batters.

Gracie Smith, Soma Hooper and Humphrey had the Bluejays' only hits.

New Madrid County Central travels to Clarkton (0-3) on Thursday, April 6 and hosts Dexter (1-4) on Monday, April 10.

Charleston will host East Prairie (1-3) on Thursday, April 13.

__NMCC 15, CHARLESTON 7__

Charleston 212 010 1 — 7 3 7

NMCC 11(11) 020 x — 15 8 7

W—Laura Johnson. L—Saylor Humphrey. 2B—NMCC: Johnson; Charleston: Saylor Humphrey, Soma Hooper. 3B—NMCC: Mylee Cook.