By HUNTER O. LYLE
DUKE CENTER, PA – Led by their star sophomore Rayel Hakes in the circle, the Otto-Eldred softball team kept their red hot streak alive, shutting Kane 10-0 in five unrelenting innings.
Over the past month, the Lady Terrors have been unstoppable, racking up 10 consecutive wins and at the center of this electric group is Rayel Hakes, a sophomore who stepped into the role as the starting pitcher. Through the win streak, she amassed 63 Ks as O-E outscored their opponents 109-17 – Hakes came in as a closer for one game and didn’t step into the circle on three other occasions through the stretch. And against Kane, it was business as usual.
Early on it was apparent that the Lady Wolves wouldn’t be touching anything Hakes put down range. In the first three frames, she dispatched six batters by way of K while her supporting cast clamped down in the infield, denying Kane real estate on base.
“She throws strong and not a lot of teams see such a strong pitcher,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Kristina Francis. “It makes it easier to work the round and she’s getting better at hitting every pitch that we call and placing the ball.”
In the meantime, the Lady Terrors got right to work. In the bottom of the first, O-E suffered two outs in three batters, however, they wouldn’t be deterred. With Tori Bickford planted on first after a perfectly placed bunt, she would be joined by Carrie Drummond and Ayla Van Scoter on successive walks. Having the bases loaded, Lexi Prince would put the Lady Terrors on the board with an RBI single, followed by two more singles from Hakes and Holly McDivitt that drove in three combined runs. Despite leaving a pair of runners stranded, they would pick up where they left off in the second.
Tori Bickford sprints to first after hitting a bunt in the Lady Terrors’ win over Kane. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Putting two Lady Terrors on base in their first two batters, Baylee Francis pushed one in with a single before they reloaded the bases with a Carrie Drummond single. Van Scoter stepped up once again, drilling a shot into the outfield that put two runners across home plate.
“I just have athletes. I have a core of athletes. From softball to basketball to volleyball, they’re just a team of athletes and it makes it easier to coach them,” said Kristina Franics of her team’s hot start. “We did change up the lineup a little bit, working some of the freshmen around a little bit and seeing what’s going to work the best for us. I like what I saw tonight.”
After a brief storm intermission, O-E once again dispatched the Lady Wolves in three before running up the score to 10. Hakes tallied another RBI, followed by a Kylie Irons sacrifice grounder score and a score on a Kane passed ball. Seemingly with ease, O-E had tacked on double-digit points, putting Kane on the verge of a mercy rule loss.
With their backs against a wall, the Lady Wolves failed to capitalize. However, they earned their first base runner via a lone Hakes walk. Tallying one final strikeout, the Lady Terrors finished their dominating performance and marked win No. 13.
Nine Lady Terrors ended with hits during the win, with Van Scoter, Hakes and Jahden Smith earning two each. Van Scoter finished perfect at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a pair of scores and two RBIs while Hakes, along with her 12 strikeouts and second no-hitter of the season, went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and one run scored. Smith ended 2-for-4, rounding home plate once.
Lexi Prince finds contact at the plate during the Lady Terrors shut out win over Kane. Prince ended 1-for-2 with two runs and one RBI. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
There are seven games remaining on O-E’s schedule, with four of them being opponents they have seen and beaten handily. At this point, playoffs are a lock to say the least, but that doesn’t mean the Lady Terrors will let up any time soon.
“We want to see some faster pitching. We’re going to Redbank Valley (on May 12) and then Bolivar-Richburg (on May 13.) We just want to see where we’re at going into districts,” said Kristina Francis. “We want to continue to hit the ball. We’re going to mix Baylee into pitching as well and then the following week we’re supposed to have three games in a row so we want to be able to see where we’re at with multiple games in the week.”
AT DUKE CENTER
R H E
Kane 000 00 0 0 0
Otto-Eldred 430 3X 10 12 0
Kane: McGuire (0 SO, 4 BB) and Mix
O-E: Hakes (12 SO, 1 BB) and Drummond
