The William Byrd softball team has a busy week with three games in four days this week.
The Terriers were scheduled to play at Patrick Henry Wednesday, but results were too late for publication. On Friday the girls will play host to William Fleming, followed by a jayvee-varsity doubleheader at Hidden Valley on Saturday, beginning at noon.
The Terriers are anxious to get back on the field after a week off. Their last action before the PH game was a win over Salem High last Wednesday, March 27. Byrd beat the Spartans 16-2 at the James I. Moyer Complex, their third game in a row at the complex after losses to Auburn and Jefferson Forest in the Salem Invitational the weekend prior.
Byrd got right to work in top of the first when Megan Grant led off with a single and stole second. After an out by Lexi Powell, starting pitcher Jada Karnes singled to left to plate Grant. Bri Hodges popped out and then Sydney Burton tripled to right field to score pinch runner Logan Pekala for the second run. Erin Cortemanche then singled home Burton and stole second and third base before Mo Icard hit her first of 2 two run homers to make it 5-0.
Byrd pounded across four more runs in the top of the second as leadoff hitter Grant started the inning with a triple into the left field corner. She then scored on a wild pitch. After Powell singled, Karnes delivered a triple to right center to make it 7-0. Pekala then scored on the first of two RBI grounders by Hodges. Byrd scored its final run of the inning on two Salem fielding errors.
Things got even better somehow for Byrd in the top of the third inning. Morgan Webb led off the inning with a solo homerun to left, her first varsity dinger. Grant then got hit by a pitch and stole second. She then raced home on a dropped Salem fly ball hit by Powell.
After an out by Karnes, Hodges knocked home Powell with another RBI grounder to make it 12-0. Sydney Burton then hung the 13th run of the game on the board with her speed producing an electrifying inside the park home run to right center. Cortemanche then singled and scored on Icard’s second blast over the left center fence. Maddie Parrish then came in to relieve Salem starter Reagan Owens and Keely Hoal then greeted her with her first home run as a varsity player to make it 16 to 0.
Salem scratched for two runs in the bottom of the fourth off Byrd reliever Hallie Cox when Morgan Tennant hit a two run homer with two out. For the game, Byrd had 17 hits, nine of which were for extra bases, including five home runs in the drubbing as William Byrd improved to 3-3 as a team.