Wallace State softball’s Medders, Ragland each blank Calhoun in doubleheader sweep

HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Wallace State sophomore pitchers Amanda Medders and Rachel Ragland each tossed gems Tuesday at Bobby McCracken Stadium, lifting the Lady Lions to a doubleheader sweep over Calhoun in their Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) opener.
Medders tossed a seven-hit shutout in a 1-0 win for Wallace State in the opener, and Ragland continued to stymie the Calhoun bats in the nightcap, throwing a four-hitter in a 3-0 victory.
“Amanda and Rachel both pitched great and we played great defense. We turned two double plays in the first game to get us out of jams. When runners got on base, both pitchers really locked down and did what they needed to do,” said Wallace State coach Jayne Clem. “That was probably our best pitching and defensive performance all year.”
Medders was locked into a scoreless duel with Calhoun’s Makenzie Childress until Wallace State (29-9) finally broke through in the fifth.
Wallace State’s Mackenzie Hill drew a leadoff walk from Childress and Molli Garcia followed with a single. Katie Parr walked later in the inning to load the bases.
With two outs, Wallace State’s Leisha Yamauchi put together a patient at bat and worked a bases-loaded walk from reliever Tiffany Self, driving in the lone run of the game.
Hill finished 1 for 2 with two walks and a run scored. Parr, Ragland, Olivia Royals and Shelby Brown contributed a single apiece.
Medders (12-2) walked one in her complete-game shutout.
Ragland (10-5) was as equally as dominant in the second game, striking out three.
Garcia supplied Wallace State with all of its offense in the third inning, blasting her team-leading fifth homer to left field.
Sarah Jordan and Royals opened the third with consecutive singles and both advanced into scoring position on a Hill sacrifice bunt.
Garcia followed with a three-run bomb for the 3-0 lead.
The homer was all Ragland needed as she blanked the Lady Warhawks, extending Wallace State’s winning streak to seven games.
Garcia finished 2 for 3 with the homer. Brooke Kinsey added a single for Wallace State.
“These were two huge home wins for us. We can’t take any team for granted. Every team we play in our division can be dangerous,” Clem said. “We stress to the players every day to play your kind of ballgame and don’t worry about what the other team is doing.”
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit wallacestate.edu.