Lady Dragons 10-run Healdsburg

With last Tuesday’s Sonoma County League game in Santa Rosa being washed out, the Sonoma Valley High School varsity softball girls were hoping to get back on the field Wednesday in Sebastopol to make up for their rained-out SCL opener against longtime rival Analy. Unfortunately, field conditions forced another postponement.

Finally on Thursday, the Lady Dragons saw some diamond action in hosting SCL foe Healdsburg and, after a slow start, put on a run-scoring, RBI-fest off only a few hits.

Junior pitching ace Hannah Herrick gave up the only hit she would yield in the game in the top of the first inning that produced an earned run. Sonoma found itself trailing the visiting Greyhound girls 1-0 after an inning-and-a-half of play.

But the Lady Dragons then got down to the business of halting any momentum Healdsburg was trying to gain by putting a seven-spot on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second, with senior Samantha Richards’ two-RBI double being the key hit.

Then freshman Katie Stovall emptied the loaded bases with a three-RBI triple in the bottom of the third frame, which was followed by a single run and Sonoma ended up posting a 10-run-rule 11-1 victory.

Leading Sonoma’s run and RBI efficient offense were Stovall’s triple, three RBIs and one run scored; Richards’ double, two RBIs and run; junior Autumn McElroy’s single, two RBIs and two runs; frosh Maddie Lentini’s two runs and an RBI; junior Shawny McVeigh’s RBI and run; winning pitcher Herrick’s two runs; and senior Michelle Stovall and frosh Hayden Pearce’s run each.

The Lady Dragons host perennial SCL power, defending champion Petaluma, at 4 p.m. today on the high school field.