Lady Crusaders take victory at No. 2 Wake
Apr. 9—Grace Christian softball was looking for a signature win this season, and on Friday evening, the Lady Crusaders got it.
Three days after a home win over the Raleigh school that shares Grace's name, the team took a step up in competition and faced the "other" Grace's conference rival, undefeated powerhouse Wake Christian Academy. The Lady Bulldogs came into the game 8-0, ranked No. 2 in the NCISAA 3A ranks by MaxPreps, and only one team had even played a close game with them.
Grace did better than that. The Lady Crusaders came from behind to hand Wake Christian its first loss of the season, winning 3-2 in Garner.
The Lady Crusaders, now 5-3 overall in their first season as an NCISAA 3A independent, trailed 1-0 after one inning of play and 2-0 after three. However, a two-run top of the fourth pulled them even.
In the top of the sixth inning, Hayley Pugh led off the inning with a single. The next two batters popped up, but with two down, sophomore Macey Jackson attacked an 0-2 pitch and drove into center field for an RBI double and a 3-2 Grace lead.
Jackson, who was on the mound for the Lady Crusaders, set down the Bulldogs 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning. In the seventh, she walked a batter with one out, but then retired the final two batters of the game for nail down the win.
She went the distance on 101 pitches, striking out three with two walks, and allowing just two hits. Neither of the runs charged to her was earned.
Wake took a 1-0 lead in the first when the leadoff batter reached on an error and then scored on a two-out single. In the third, a walk followed by another error allowed the Bulldogs to tack on a second run.
Meanwhile, Grace had wasted a leadoff double in each of the first two innings, stranding Olivia Hochevar and then Hailey Hughes. However, when Pugh led off the fourth with a single, Grace finally capitalized. With two out, Jackson roped a line drive into right field for an RBI double. The Lady Crusaders finally caught a break when the Wake pitcher lost a fly ball and Jackson, who had been running on contact with two out, scored to tie the game.
Jackson pitched out of a jam with two on and two out in the last of the fourth, allowed a harmless scratch single with two out in the fifth, and tossed a scoreless sixth.
Grace moved up to the No. 3 ranking in MaxPreps with the win.
Pugh and Jackson were both 2-for-3 in the game, and the only other Grace hits were the doubles hit by Hughes and Hochevar.
Grace plays at John Paul II Catholic this afternoon at 4 p.m.