Anika Weisbrich sure picked the perfect moment for her first extra-base hit of the season. With her team trailing by two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday, the Fort Campbell High School senior delivered an RBI double and later tied the game-tying run on a wild pitch, helping the Falcons to a 5-4 win over Hopkins County Central, the Lady Falcons first-ever win over the Lady Storm.
Coming into the night, Weisbrich had two hits — both singles — in 22 at-bats this season, giving her a 0.91 batting average. But none of that mattered in Tuesday’s 2nd Region showdown. Her clutch two-bagger pulled FCHS within 4-3 of the Storm. And after Weisbrich raced home to tie the game at 4-all, Ryleigh Watry lined a game-winning triple to left that scored Chela Lassus for a one-run lead.
Carrie McCrary, who pitched two innings in relief of her sister Kiley, completed a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh to secure the decision and give Fort Campbell its fourth win in its last six games. Kiley McCrary (4-8) fanned 11 in five innings to earn the victory in the circle.
After both teams were held scoreless through three innings, visiting Hopkins Central went up 1-0 in the fourth on one of four Falcon errors. In the top of the fifth, the Storm made it 3-0 after Amelia Johnson’s RBI groundout and Brinkley Armstrong’s two-out, RBI double.
Fort Campbell came up with a couple two-out runs of their own during the bottom of the fifth inning, when Carrie McCrary made it 3-1 on a run-scoring single and courtesy runner Tristin Caldwell scored on a passed ball to cut the Storm lead to 4-2.
Emily Ballard (2-16) went the distance but took the loss for HCCHS. She allowed nine hits, three walks and three earned runs in six innings. Ballard allowed the triple and two doubles. The Storm struck out 13 times and were held to two hits.
Weisbrich and Jordan Wilkerson each had two hits for the Falcons (6-12), who are scheduled to have a rematch against Hopkins County Central (3-22) on May 8 in Mortons Gap, and then play their regular-season finale May 9 at Christian Fellowship School.
