Published: March 26, 2008 12:55 am         

Nickell wins pitchers’ duel as Pirates edge Spartans 3-2

FAYETTEVILLE — Nancy Adkins knows a team is only as good as the teams it plays.

And for a Class A softball team, the Fayetteville Pirates are very good.

Adkins, who guided Fayetteville to its first-ever state tournament appearance last season, added Class AAA Nicholas County and Greenbrier East to her schedule this season.

Both games concluded 3-2. Nicholas prevailed over the Pirates last week, but Tuesday night Fayetteville used aggressive baserunning and played errorless defense to eke out the win.

“We want our girls to get better and the only way to do it is by playing more double-A and triple-A teams,” Adkins said after the Pirates upped their mark to 3-2.

Stephanie Nickell scored the winning run in the bottom of the fifth, advancing to third base on a wild pitch and scoring on an errant throw.

The play ultimately decided a fine pitcher’s duel between Nickell and East’s Erin Ramsey.

Both junior right-handers allowed six hits. Nickell fanned five and walked two while Ramsey had four strikeouts and issued four bases on balls.

An error also accounted for a Fayetteville run in the bottom of the first inning.

“It was a good game for early in the year,” East coach Bruce Bowling said. “We had a couple of mistakes we need to work on.”

The 2-3 Spartans led 1-0 in the first inning when Danielle Gessee-Hanlon singled and scored on Kelsey Still’s double off the center-field fence.

Still, East’s designated player, struck again in the third inning when her line drive shot to left field easily cleared the fence.

The junior entered the game batting .573.

“She’s the best hitter on the team,” Bowling said. “We’ve been trying to find a way to get her into the lineup and she’s moving on up. That was her first home run.”

Fayetteville tied the count in the bottom of the third when Amber Spearen singled to left and advanced on a fielder’s choice and a wild pitch.

Beth George then ripped a hard chopper to third base that bounced off Katie Hunter’s glove and caught the side of her face.

Undaunted, Hunter grabbed the ball and fired home, but Spearen slid in just ahead of the throw.

East had base runners the last three innings, but Nickell pitched her way out of trouble each time.

“Stephanie’s a good little pitcher, and we played good defense,” Adkins said. “It’s a big part of the game and we seem to excel at that.”

“Fayetteville’s a good team, no question about it,” Bowling said.

The Pirates play at Oak Hill today while East is at home Thursday against Ripley.

— E-mail:

dstillwell@register-herald.com



Fayetteville 3, Greenbrier East 2

GE: 101 000 0 — 2 6 2

F: 101 010 x — 3 6 0

GE: Erin Ramsey and Cynthia Huffman, F: Stephanie Nickell and Beth George. WP — Nickell. LP — Ramsey. Hitting — GE: Kelsey Still 2-3 (hr, 2b, 2 rbi), Danielle Gessie-Hanlon 2-4, Kate Bowling 1-2, Lane Cole 1-3, F: Nickell 1-3, George 1-3 (rbi), Casey Smith 1-3, Amanda Feazell 1-2, Amy Holly 1-3, Amber Spearen 1-2.

Records: GE: 2-3; F: 4-2.