E. Columbus bumps Lady Wolfpack to tighten
grip on Waccamaw Conference softball lead

Waccamaw
softball battle
East Columbus High School’s Jena Briit (top photo) releases a pitch in last Thursday’s Waccamaw Conference softball game with visiting Whiteville. Second photo, above, Whiteville outfielder MaeRisha Watts makes a running catch at the rightfield foul line, and (above) East Columbus shortstop Bri Jacobs looks to make a tag on a baserunner after coming up with a grounder. East Columbus won the game 13-3 to put its conference record at 4-0. Whiteville, which was coming off a big conference win over Pender, saw its league record drop to 3-2.

Staff photos by Mark Gilchrist

LAKE WACCAMAW - Behind a 12-hit attack, the East Columbus Lady Gators moved their Waccamaw Conference record to 4-0 Thursday with a 13-3 win over the Whiteville Lady Wolfpack.

The game was halted in the fifth inning by the 10-run rule

East Columbus, which gained control with six runs in the second inning, got a three-hit pitching performance by Jena Britt.

Caitlin Lane and Emmy Malpass each had three hits for ECHS and each had a triple. Lane finished with four runs batted in. Erica Smith and Bri Jacobs had two hits and two RBIs apiece. Jacobs tripled and Smith doubled.

Danielle Cassidy’s three-run double in the third inning provided the Lady Wolfpack’s scoring.

Pitcher Dallas Hewett and shortstop Kayla Batchelor had the other WHS hits. The loss dropped Whiteville, which had posted a big win over Pender in its last outing, to 3-2 in the conference standings.

Whiteville will play host to West Columbus on Tuesday.

East Columbus will entertain Pender on Friday in a conference showdown match-up.