Lady Eagles Win Fifth At Back To School Classic

Abbey Daniel broke a 1-1 tie Saturday in the fifth-place game of the Peoples Bank Back To School Classic and helped give the Lady Eagles a 2-1 victory over Branson.

Sullivan took a 1-0 lead in the first and Branson tied it in the third. The game remained knotted at 1-1 until the fifth inning.

Addison Purvis hit a one-out single, Kamryn Lohden walked and Hannah Cox singled to left to load the bases for Daniel. Daniel grounded a ball to second. The throw went home, but Purvis beat it out and gave Sullivan the lead.

With the time limit approaching, the sixth inning would be the final one. Daniel, who had started, retired the first two batters she saw before allowing a walk to Payton Rhodes.. Britton Ellis doubled to left and represented the go-ahead run.

After pitching in three of Sullivan’s four games that weekend, the Lady Eagles sent in Purvis to get the final out. She needed four pitches to get a ground out to first and preserve the victory, making Sullivan winners in four out of their first five games.

The Lady Eagles had nine hits against Branson. Cox doubled and singled twice. She drove in the team’s first run. Purvis and Grace Glaser had a pair of singles. Kloey Blanton and Kylee Thomure also had hits.

Daniel went 5-2/3 innings. She struck out one, walked two and didn’t allow an earned run.

Cox’s two-out double in the first drove in Lohden. In the third, Ellis hit a fielder’s choice and went to third on an error at short, hit off the bat of Lauren Garrison. Sullivan picked off Ellis, but Garrison advanced to second. Brooke Hunn’s single drove her in.

Daniel pitched around trouble in the fourth. Branson loaded the bases, but couldn’t push across a run after a failed bunt attempt by Rhodes and a pop-out from Ellis.

Sullivan loaded the bases when they came to bat in the fourth. Cox led off with a single. Alyssa Sharp was sent in as a courtesy runner and she moved to second on a one-out single by Glaser. After a strikeout, Thomure reached on a bunt single, but Branson escaped with another strikeout.

Branson missed another opportunity in the fifth. They put two runners on with two outs, but Daniel got a lineout to keep the game tied at 1-1 and set up Sullivan’s rally in the bottom half.