GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Trying to get the schedule back on track with weather issues and after dropping four in a row with three of them being 10-run rule early ended games, the Clay Lady Blue Devils hosted the Bishop Snyder Cardinals for some double header action, first with the Blue Devils as the visiting team in game one, and finishing as the home team for game two.

Game one would be a two-hour 20-minute marathon that saw the Blue Devils get out ahead 3-0 with runs from Gabrielle Wiseman, Kierstyn Mann, and Sydney Davis in their first at bats on their way to a 10 run rule six inning Blue Devil 12-2 victory.

Clay Head Coach Matt Lewis was not pleased with the effort of his team as too many issues reared their ugly head which contributed to the lengthy event.

“Happy with the second one, a lot of things in the first game we did wrong, we should have not done,” said Lewis. “A lot of selfish ball in the first game. We fixed that and we came back strong in the second game. The first game was a little too much me, me. The second game was much better.”

After Lewis dispensed with some verbal encouragement to get his team back on track, the Ladies came out and took the wood to the Cardinals which included a second inning 2 RBI Kamryn Hubbard inside the park home run for a 15-0 whoopin’ that ended at four innings, handing the Blue Devils back-to-back dominating early ended victories.

In game one, the Blue Devils seemed to be trying too hard, as if each individual player knew the four previous losses were too much and wanted to put the game on each player’s shoulders.

“If we would just quit being selfish and stop worrying about driving the ball out of the ballpark instead of just hitting a line drive and getting people around, station to station. It’s not hit a home run. Get a good swing and the ball will take off,” said Lewis.

The problem was, even though they were winning, they were not playing as a team with issue after issue. The ladies persevered through the problems and went to work as the marathon went on.

“We left two runners on every inning of the first game,” said Lewis.

After the quick three runs, the Blue Devils went cold for two innings before the bats woke up in the fourth inning. Like a replay of the first inning, again loading the bases with Wiseman, Mann, and Davis, Bailey Parker used a sacrifice fly to deep left field to score Wiseman, 4-1.

Serena Willimon followed with a bunt out to score Mann, 5-1. Emalee Martin kept the momentum rolling with a left field ground RBI single, 6-1. Martin had her head on a swivel as Abigail Rutledge stole second, and on the play at second, stole home to finish the fourth inning score-fest 7-1. The Cardinals would add one run to bring the contest to 7-2.

The Blue Devils would add another two runs in the fifth inning, and the closing song with the final three runs in the sixth to end the game early with the 10 run rule, 12-2 win in six innings.

After a time out to groom the field and get some nutrition, the ladies went back at it for game two.

“This is our third double header of the season,” said Lewis. “The other two were the same, we lost the first game, and came back to win the second. It’s about how you make the adjustments and how you do things.”

The Cardinals could do nothing with the first at-bats, while Clay wasted no time to get a run across with a Sydney Davis center field line drive to score Gabrielle Wiseman to go up 1-0. The second inning saw the Cardinals leaving two on, coming away blanked again.

The bottom of the second was a Mike Tyson-like punch to the jaw of the Cardinals as the Blue Devils started the scoring with the in the park 2 RBI homer, 4-0. Davis followed with an RBI single to score Wiseman, 5-0. With bases loaded, Cardinal Pitcher Anna Biroschik walked in Davis, 6-0, and walked in Emalee Martin, 7-0. McKensey Bardroff was hit by a pitch that scored Abigail Rutledge, 8-0. Kamryn Hubbard kept the rally alive with an RBI single to the shortstop, scoring Zoe Johnson, 9-0. Gabrielle

Wiseman went as deep and you can without going out of the park for a sacrifice fly to get Willimon across the plate to go ahead 10-0. With the 10 run rule only applying at the end of the 5th inning, play continued.

In the third inning, runs by Davis, Rutledge, and Johnson put Clay ahead 13-0. Then came the knockout when Emalee Martin tagged a two RBI double scoring Wiseman and Short to force the 15 run rule which ended the game.

“Little things make big differences. You have to tweak things” said Lewis. “It’s every day. You have to deal with kids being a part of other events and things so they miss a practice. I tell them go do stuff like FFA, so I can’t punish them for that. Sometimes you just miss them at the wrong times, but it’s part of being in high school, it’s what the experience is all about.”

County Roundup

Oakleaf (7-5): March 25 beat Episcopal 9-0, March 26 lost to Fort Myers 4-3, March 26 beat Middleburg 9-1, March 29 lost to Middleburg 14-10, March 31 lost to Doral Academy 5-1, April 1 beat South Lake

Tues., April 5 at Keystone Heights

Thurs., April 7 vs. Tocoi Creek

Tues., April 12 at Providence

Thurs., April 14 vs. Nease

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Keystone Heights (6-7): March 25 beat Clay 12-1, March 31 lost to Tampa Robinson 6-0, April 1 beat Space Coast 6-5, April 1 beat Orlando Christian Prep

Tues., April 5 vs. Oakleaf

Thurs., April 7 at Middleburg

Mon., April 11 vs. Bradford

Tues., April 12 vs. Ridgeview

Thurs., April 14 at Creekside

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Middleburg (7-5): March 25 beat Inspiration Academy 2-1, March 25 lost to Fort Myers 11-3, March 26 lost to Oakleaf 9-1, March 28 lost to Baker County 3-1, March 29 beat Oakleaf 14-10

Tues., April 5 at Bartram Trail

Thurs., April 7 vs. Keystone Heights

Mon., April 11 vs. Columbia

Tues., April 12 at Fleming Island

Wed., April 13 vs. Baldwin

Thurs., April 14 at Providence

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Fleming Island (5-5): March 28 beat SJCDS 5-4, March 30 lost to Ridgeview 5-3, March 31 lost to Episcopal 2-0

Tues., April 5 at Bolles

Thurs., April 7 at Atlantic Coast

Tues., April 12 vs. Middleburg

Thurs., April 14 vs. Clay

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Clay (7-6): March 25 lost to Keystone Heights 12-1, March 29 lost to Bartram Trail 10-0, April 1 beat Bishop Snyder 12-2, April 1 beat Bishop Snyder 15-0, April 4 beat Palatka 3-2

Thurs., April 7 at Ridgeview

Fri., April 8 at Ponte Vedra

Tues., April 12 vs. ED White

Wed., A[pril 13 at Mandarin

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Orange Park (1-10): March 28 lost to Tocoi Creek 16-7, March 29 lost to University Christian 15-0, April 1 beat Palatka 4-2, April 4 lost to Bradford 8-3

Wed., April 6 at Creekside

Thurs., April 7 at Bolles

Mon., April 11 vs. Ponte Vedra

Thurs., April 14 at Bradford

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SJCDS (6-2): March 28 lost to Fleming Island 5-4, March 29 beat Seacoast Christian 15-0, March 31 Forfeit win v. Parsons Christian

Tues., April 5 at Bishop Snyder

Thurs., April 7 vs. University Christian

Mon., April 11 at Episcopal

Tues., April 12 at Peniel Baptist