Tharptown girls steamroll Anderson in doubleheader

By Staff
Mike Self FCT Sports Editor
Heather Hatton struck out 10 batters in a complete game three-hitter on Tuesday as Tharptown defeated Anderson 9-2 in the second game of a doubleheader.
The Lady Wildcats (6-3) cruised to a 15-0 win in three innings in the opener, getting a pair of triples from Laken Barnett and three RBIs apiece from Hatton and Jessica Myrick.
Barnett finished off a perfect day at the plate in game two, going 3-for-3 with another triple. Hollie Hines was 2-for-2 with a triple and an inside-the-park home run.
"Hollie can flat-out hit the ball," Tharptown coach Susie Sellers said. "Her brother has a baseball pitching machine at home, and she hits off it. Once you're used to finding a baseball, picking up a softball coming toward the plate is that much easier."
Sellers said she was pleased with the performance of many of her less experienced players on Tuesday.
"Aside from Laken, Hollie and Heather, everybody else who played in the second game was a first or second-year player," she said. "And we still won 9-2. Our young girls were putting the ball in play. They weren't just standing up there begging for a walk, and that means a lot to me."
Myrick (4-3) earned the win in game one, striking out all six batters she faced in two perfect innings before giving way to Barnett for the final three outs.
Barnett was 2-for-2 with three runs scored, and Myrick and Hatton each went 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Lauren Scott was 1-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs, and Hines went 1-for-3 with a double and scored twice.
Chelsey McCluskey singled and scored twice, and Tosha George and Brittany Allen each added a hit and a run scored.
"We didn't keep up with how many stolen bases we had, but I know it was a bunch," Sellers said. "We ran the bases really well today."
Tharptown was scheduled to face East Franklin on Thursday and will open play in a tournament at Danville tonight against Wilson.