There was smoked chicken, a couple home runs and some pretty happy girls at Craig Milburn Field at ZHS Friday night.
The third annual ZHS Boys Baseball vs. Girls Softball fundraiser game was an overwhelming success to raise money for both programs, but the winners were the fans who watched two great games with the varsity girls team handing the boys a 10-5 defeat and the JV girls rallying back to a 7-7 tie.
“It feels good to see a turnout like this,” Lady Bulldogs Coach Kristen Dumont said as the hundreds of people filed out from the bleachers, chairs and outfield parking spots. “We always have a good turnout for this. If only we could all of games to be like this.”
On the varsity side, junior pitcher Laila Woolfolk recorded 15 strikeouts in seven innings of work mixing in fastballs, rising fastballs and a nasty change up. The jitters hit early in the first inning where she gave up three runs including a two-run homer by Colton Jones.
Woolfolk went on a tear baffling Bulldog baseball hitters and didn’t give up another run over the next five innings.
There was more at stake than just a win. Bragging rights were won by the girls after a long week of the boys talking trash.
“This means everything ,” Woolfolk said. “They have been talking crap all week to all of us, so whatever I could do to help the team out. I’m a big team person and I like to contribute in any way I can so taking this win really helps.”
It was a big adjustment for the baseball players who had to windmill pitch to the girls and the boys had to face Woolfolk’s dominant pitches from 45 feet.
The girls manhandled the several pitchers the baseball team put in the circle with Hannah Helms drilling a two-run home run in the first inning off senior JJ McGovern. The Lady Bulldogs kept piling on runs as the game went on. The boys’ team added two runs in the final inning to narrow the gap to 10-5, but they would get no closer.
“It was fun. It was a good showing of what’s to come this season,” Lady Bulldog Coach Kristen Dumont. “Our bats have been our biggest problem in the past. It’s a good preseason, preseason game. It’s always good to beat the boys.”
The JV team put on a show after trailing most of the game, they rallied in the last inning to come away with a tie, despite having the winning run on third with two outs.
“It was really fun when we started to come back,” said pitcher Jessie Starnes. “It was a lot of nerves to start and the boys were talking all week. We knew we could get them.”