Sports
Raiders Continue Streak Against Lady Bulls
The Lady Bulls lose 8-2 versus the Plant City Raiders on Tuesday night.
Tuesday night was a chance for the Lady Bulls to prove they could compete with one of the best teams softball teams in the county.
Facing a Lady Raiders team that had not lost a game at home this season, the Lady Bulls came up short losing 8-2 against timely Raider bats and pitching.
The Raiders jumped ahead of Bloomingdale early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first to give Plant City an overwhelming 3-0 lead. An opening inning that led to Bloomingdale's best pitcher, Leah Pemberton, making an early departure from the mound.
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After an evenly matched second inning, the Raiders once again took advantage of the arms of the Lady Bull pitching staff, scoring two additional runs to widen the lead, 5-0, in the third.
Until the fourth inning, the bats of the Lady Bulls were silent at the hands of the dominant pitching and defense of Plant City. However, in the fourth, Bloomingdale scored its first run, clipping the Raiders lead to 5-1.
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In the next inning, Bloomingdale pitcher Emily Whitfield shut down Plant City's offense in the fifth with fiery pitches that sat Raider batters down in swift, consecutive order.
Plant City pitching made easy outs of the first two Bloomingdale batters to start the sixth. The excitment in the Bulls dugout was ignited by the spark of their pitcher and it was eveident that the Lady Bulls were not ready to go down without a fight.
With two outs and one runner on base, junior first baseman Marlie Braddy stretched an infield single into a triple to extend the inning and drive in a run to trim the Raider lead, 5-2. The late rally fell short as Braddy was left stranded on third while in scoring position, ending a promising sixth inning.
Following the Bulls late rally, the Lady Raiders left no doubt as they came out swinging in the bottom of the sixth, posting two more runs to seal the game, 8-2.
The Raiders pitching proved to be the deciding factor in the game. After an opening walk in the top of the seventh, the next three Bloomingdale batters were put out in order to end the game securing a Raider win, 8-2.
The Lady Bull's next game will be Friday night at home in Bloomingdale against Alonso at 7 p.m.
