By Mark Requet
The South Shelby Lady Birds hosted the Monroe City Lady Panthers on Thursday, September 19, 2024, for its first Clarence Cannon Conference matchup of the season and lost 9-5.
The Lady Panthers scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning, with the Lady Birds responding in the bottom half when Callie McWilliams scored on a wild pitch.
Monroe City added two runs in the top of the second inning to take a 3-1 lead.
South Shelby cut into the lead in the bottom of the third inning when Sofia Eleazarraraz singled and scored on an RBI hit by McWilliams to pull within 3-2.
Monroe City added two runs in the top of the fourth inning and one run in the top of the fifth inning to push the lead to 6-2.
South Shelby put together a rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. Madison Wilt led off with a walk, stole second base, and went to third on a passed ball. Two batters later, Kylie Million singled on a bunt to put runners at the corners. Harlie Fuller singled on a bloop popup on the infield to score a run and cut the lead to 6-3. Maicyn Ratliff followed with an RBI single to make it 6-4. Two batters later, an RBI groundout by Rhylea Nance scored another run to cut the lead to 6-5, but that was all the Lady Birds could score in the inning.
Monroe City added three runs in the top of the seventh to win the game 9-5.
Million led the Lady Birds with three hits, while Fuller added two hits.
McWilliams pitched seven innings, allowing nine runs, four earned runs, on six hits. She walked 11 batters and struck out five.
The Lady Birds, 9-5 overall, 0-1 in the conference, traveled to Macon on Monday, September 23. They host Palmyra on Tuesday, September 24, with the varsity game following the JV game at 5 p.m., and travel to Harrisburg on Wednesday, September 25, for a game beginning at 5 p.m.
