Grand Ridge Belles stay alive

By Dustin Kent

Published: June 21, 2008

The Grand Ridge Belles All-Stars stayed alive this weekend at Optimist Park, taking two of three games in the district tournament.

The Belles took an 18-3 win over Chattahoochee Thursday night, then dropped a 5-1 game to Franklin County Friday night before bouncing back to beat Port St. Joe Saturday morning 11-7.

Grand Ridge has a rematch with Franklin County Monday at 5:30 p.m., needing to win that game and another against Franklin County Tuesday to advance to the state tournament.

Another loss and Grand Ridge will be eliminated.

Against Chattahoochee, Grand Ridge jumped out fast with five runs in the first inning, then added four more in the second to take a 9-1 lead.

Grand Ridge scored four more in the third and five more in the fourth to take the easy victory.
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Things were far more difficult for the Grand Ridge offense Friday night, as Franklin County starting pitcher Shelby Shiver pitched a complete game, striking out nine and allowing just one run on four hits.

Shiver also contributed a two-run single in the top of the seventh to push the lead from two to four runs.

Franklin County got off to a quick start, pushing two runs across the plate in the first inning off of an RBI single by Chena Segree and an RBI groundout by Morgan Newell off of Grand Ridge starter Ashlen Wilson.

Grand Ridge got one back in the bottom of the first when Brooke Williams singled and scored on a Franklin County error to make it 2-1.

In the top of the second, Kendall Hardy reached on a bloop single to shallow center field and scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1 Franklin County.

Shiver struck out the Grand Ridge side in the second inning but found herself in a minor jam in the third.

Wilson led off the inning with a single and Cambraige Chason later reached on an error to give Grand Ridge runners on the corners with two outs.

However, Shiver was able to induce a groundout by Kayla Kelly to end the threat.

Shiver cruised through the next three innings, retiring nine straight Grand Ridge hitters.

After she gave herself two more insurance runs at the plate, Shiver returned to the circle for the bottom of the seventh but quickly allowed a pair of Grand Ridge base runners.

Alex Maphis hit an infield single, then Beth Sheffield followed with a single to right field, though Maphis was gunned down at third base on the play.

Shiver struck out Londyn Chason for the second out, then got Morgan Gainer to ground out for the final out of the game.
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Grand Ridge fell down 5-3 in the first inning against Port St. Joe, but took the lead with a three-run third, then made it 7-5 with another run in the fourth.

Port St. Joe tied it up with two runs in the bottom of the fourth.

However, Grand Ridge went ahead for good in the top of the seventh with four runs.

Wilson, who pitched the final three innings in relief for Grand Ridge, sat Port St. Joe down in order in the bottom of the inning to end the game.