Above Photo: Senior Abbi Perkins hits a home run in the second inning allowing herself and Mackenzie Pickens to score runs for Buford. Photo by Alicia Couch Payne
BUFORD — The Buford varsity softball team hosted Shiloh at the Buford Softball Complex on Wednesday afternoon for a doubleheader. Buford’s bats got going early and kept on making plays which helped the Wolves make quick work of the Generals. The Wolves blanked the Generals in both games with scores of 17-0 and 11-0.
In the first game, Buford had freshman pitcher Emma Grace Williams on the mound. Williams pitched for three innings, struck out five batters, and only gave up two runs with no opponent making it to a scoring position. Her overall season record improves to 9-1.
The offense got started early for the Wolves with Taylor Malvin starting the bottom of the first inning off with a double. Just three batters later, Malvin and Mackenzie Pickens would score off of a single by Emmy Hall. Buford would score two additional runs in the first.
Malvin would once again lead off the Wolves’ turn at bat with another double. She would wind up scoring a run just a play later off of Mackenzie Pickens’ triple. Senior Abbi Perkins was up next and she hit a home run allowing Mackenzie Pickens and herself to add two runs. Buford couldn’t be stopped after that adding 10 additional runs which forced the game to be called after the top of the third inning.
Leading the offense for Buford was Perkins who went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, four RBIs, and two runs scored. Freshman Adrianna Martinez was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Mackenzie Pickens went 3-for-3 at the plate with a triple, two RBIs, and three runs scored. Rounding out the top offensive players was Hall who was 2-for-3, had two RBIs, and added three runs to the board for the Wolves.
In game two, another freshman pitcher was on the mound for Buford. In her first varsity game as a starter, Morgan Sullivan would pitch for three innings in which she only allowed three hits and struck out two.
Malvin started the offense for Buford with a triple in the bottom of the first. She would go on to score the only run of the first inning just one play later when Mackenzie Pickens hit a sacrifice fly.
Shiloh walked the first three Wolves in the bottom of the second. A single by Emma Castorri would allow Chloe Hatcher and Madison Pickens to add runs to the board for Buford. The Wolves added four additional runs in the second inning and four more in the third inning. The game was called after the top of the fourth inning due to the run rule.
Offensive standouts for Buford in the second game against Shiloh were Castorri who was 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored; Malvin went 2-for-2 with two triples, an RBI and two runs scored; and Mackenzie Pickens who was 1-for-2 with a double, a sac fly, two RBIs and a run scored.
Buford improves to 22-4 overall on the season and remains undefeated at 12-0 in Region 8-AAAAAA.
The Wolves host Habersham Central on Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Buford Softball Complex.
— Staff Reports
