No. 13 Topsail softball defeats Hoggard with fourth inning rally
Somebody was going to bounce back in a big way on Tuesday night.
Looking to rebound from their first losses of the year, Topsail and Hoggard softball went punch for punch through the first three innings. But with the score tied 3-3 in the fourth, Rylee Reuter blasted a home run to spark a four-run inning that would guide the Pirates to an 8-3 victory.
Stepping to the plate already down 1-0, Macey Ciamillo crushed a lead-off home run in the first for the Vikings to instantly tie the score. Two costly errors in the field later in the inning gave Hoggard a 3-1 lead through one.
Topsail's run of seven unanswered began in the top of the third. Lauren Clinch and Jaylyn Noble worked their way on to start the inning, and both scored as the Pirates manufactured a pair of runs on fielder's choices to knot things up at 3-3.
Reuter's go-ahead homer was followed by a crucial extra base hit from Noble that erupted the visiting dugout in the fourth.
Topsail tacked on an insurance run in the fifth to secure the 8-3 victory. In the circle, Kennedy Sloan buckled down after a rocky first to post six straight zeroes with nine strikeouts.
The victory snaps a two-game skid for the Pirates. They have a quick turnaround on Wednesday when they travel back to Wilmington to face Ashley. Topsail is now 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the MEC.
Hoggard drops to 6-2 overall, the loss is their second straight. Isabelle Roberts had a multi-hit game for the Vikings, and Ciamillo finished with five strikeouts. Next up is a Thursday home game against South Brunswick.
