BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood softball team crammed seven games in six days over the past week, going 6-1 in that span.
The Bengals beat Nation Ford 4-3 March 29, went 4-1 in a weekend softball tournament, defeated Spring Valley 9-6 in returning to Region 3-5A play Tuesday night.
Along the way, head coach Jordan Atkinson notched her 100th career win with the Bengals.
Against Nation Ford, the Bengals took a 3-1 lead after a 2-run fifth inning. When Nation Ford scored two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 3, Blythewood responded strong.
Maya Van Zyl led off the inning with a double, Josie Smythe was intentionally walked, and Neilah Browne sacrifice bunted the baserunners to second and third. Keeley Hughes was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out.
With Courtesy runner Makalah Ford at third in place of Van Zyl, Raygan Segars hit a fly ball that the right fielder dropped, scoring Ford for the game winning run.
Van Zyl went 3-for-3 with three doubles. Hughes hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the fifth.
In the Triple Crown Tournament at Citizens Park in Aiken Friday and Saturday, Blythewood beat Aiken 11-1 and North Augusta 4-3 Friday, and beat both teams again Saturday—4-2 over Aiken and 4-3 over North Augusta. The Bengals fell 13-7 to Midland Valley in the final game.
In the 11-1 win over Aiken, I’yanna Velez went 3-for-4 and Smythe and Ford both went 2-for-3. All three Bengals had a home run and two RBI.
In the first game against North Augusta, Segars went 2-for-2 with a double.
In the second game against Aiken, Velez and A Duncan both had two hits. Hardy homered.
In the second game against North Augusta, Kylie Sanders doubled.
Against the Mustangs, Smythe hit two home runs and had three RBI. Velez went -3for-4 with 2 RBI. Duncan also homered and went 2-for-2. Segars and Hardy both doubled.
On Tuesday night the Bengals scored five runs in the first, three more in the second and one in the third to put the distance on Spring Valley. The Vikings scored three in the first, one in the second, and two in the sixth, but Hardy closed out a complete game in the circle, scattering 11 hits and striking out nine.
Hardy, Velez, Van Zyl, and Browne each had two hits. Velez tripled, and both of Browne’s hits were doubles. Van Zyl, Hughes, and Smith also doubled.
Blythewood (10-4, 5-1) plays host to Spring Valley today. After spring break the Bengals return to region play at Clover April 18.
