Sandiettes Shutout Slocum, 9-0

Currie Pitches One-Hitter

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND – As the second half of the season got underway earlier in the week, the Grapeland Sandiettes were tied with the Lovelady Lady Lions for second place in District 20-2A, two games behind the Leon Lady Cougars.

The Sandiettes knew that any type of slip-up would likely crush any hopes of repeating as district champs as they took on the Slocum Lady Mustangs on Friday, April 5.

Once the game got underway, the Sandiettes showed they were not about to get tripped up as they defeated the Lady Mustangs by a score of 9-0.

Cadie Belle Currie was in the pitcher’s circle for the Sandiettes and she was dominant after giving up a lead-off single to Jalyn Fletcher. Following Fletcher’s base hit, Currie struck out Courtney January, Laney Lasiter and Bella McNeill to retire the Lady Mustangs.

Grapeland took an early lead when they came in from the field. Kiera DeCluette led off the Sandiettes’ half of the inning with a double and took third on the throw.

Diamond Dunn was up next and Fletcher, who was in the circle for Slocum, forced her to pop up to third. Cierra Simon was next in the batting order. She connected with a Fletcher pitch and flew out to center, allowing DeCluette to tag up and score.

That was all the offense the Sandiettes could muster. Currie was walked and replaced by a courtesy runner – Haylee Reed. Unfortunately, Reed was called out on an attempted steal.

Currie worked a one-two-three inning in the second. She coaxed a fly ball out from Jaidan Wickersham, and then got groundouts from Jordyn Kidd, along with Marlee Lasiter, to end the Slocum half of the inning.

The Sandiettes plated three more runs when they came to bat. Cheney Boyd led off and reached on an error. Jaycee Graham doubled to move her to third.

A Jessi Cunningham groundout drove in Boyd while a Madi McCombs ground out drove in Graham to make the score 3-0.

KeKe Harris followed with a double, stole third and crossed the dish when DeCluette reached safely on an error. Dunn was up next and popped up to end the frame with the Sandiettes now up by a score of 4-0.

When the Lady Mustangs came to bat in the top of the third, they threatened to cut into the Grapeland lead. After both Hannah Easley and Williams struck out, Fletcher and January reached on back-to-back errors. Currie, however, was having none of it as she got Lasiter to foul out to retire the side.

The Sandiettes added two more runs to their total in the third to push the lead out to 6-0.

Simon was up first and she sent a shot back up the middle for a single. She stole second – then third – and crossed the plate on a groundout from Currie. Boyd followed Currie to the plate, ripped a triple into right and scampered home when Graham grounded into a 4-3 force.

As the game continued, McNeill led off the top of the fourth for Slocum and reached on an error. After Wickersham struck out, Kidd hit into a force which moved Wickersham to second. That was as far as she would get, however, as Currie caught Madison Hall swinging at strike three to end the Slocum half of the frame.

Grapeland plated another run in the bottom half of the fourth to made the score 7-0. After Harris was called out on strikes, DeCluette tripled to left.  Reed knocked her in when she grounded into a 4-3 force while Simon popped up to end the fourth.

A quiet fifth gave way to the sixth where Grapeland added two additional runs as they Sandiettes cruised to a 9-0 win.

Fletcher took the loss in six innings. She gave up nine runs on nine hits. She also struck out three and walked three.

Currie picked up the win in seven innings. She didn’t yield a run and only gave up one hit while striking out 13.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected]