Harvey sophomores Lola Thomas and Alexa Bailey have settled in well at the varsity level, especially in a 7-1 Chagrin Valley Conference win over visiting Beachwood on Tuesday.
Thomas was 2-for-2 with three runs scored, two runs batted in, a double, a home run, and a stolen base. Bailey was 4-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and also picked up the pitching victory after allowing one run on five hits. She struck out 12 Bison batters.
“Our sophomores, Lola Thomas and Alexa Bailey, led our team offensively and on defense today,” said Harvey coach Betsy Hada. “They provide us with speed and power at the top of our lineup. They have adjusted well to high school ball after missing their freshman season. They excelled in their first CVC game as the battery for our team. Lola is smooth behind the plate and is a brick wall for any errant pitch. Alexa got ahead of batters and mixed speeds well.”
Bailey posted a rare accomplishment when she struck out four batters in the first inning. One reached base on a dropped third strike.
The pitcher turned batter led off the bottom of the first with a single and scored on a Thomas double to give the Red Raiders a 1-0 lead.
Thomas hit a solo shot in the third to increase Harvey’s lead to 2-0 and the Red Raiders added five more in the fourth.
Josie Basco drew a one-out walk, stole second, and then scored on Bailey’s single. Tressa Overbey then singled with two outs and Thomas drew a walk. Overbey would score on an error and Mira DiPierro singled. Thomas scored on an error to push the lead to 5-0.
Rachael Boykin hit a one-out triple in the fifth and scored on another Bailey base hit.
Beachwood manufactured a run in the top of the sixth when Ari Preston doubled and moved to third on Shayna Preisler’s single. Preston scored on a groundout.
The Red Raiders closed out the scoring with one run in the bottom of the sixth. Thomas walked and Mira DiPierro singled. Both runners moved up on a groundout and Thomas scored on Nya Talley’s ground ball out.
Mira DiPierro finished the game 3-for-3 with a triple and she also was hit by a pitch.
