Bakersfield advances with 7-6 win over Gainesville

Two of the area's top high school softball teams went head to head this past week as the Bakersfield Lady Lions played host to the Gainesville Lady Bulldogs on Friday afternoon.
After a brief rain delay and a tight first inning, Gainesville got on the scoreboard in the first inning, scoring three runs. Bakersfield got a run of their own and two more in the third to tie the game up at 3-3. The Lady Lions added one more in the fourth and exploded for three runs in the fifth to go up by four heading into the sixth inning.
Gainesville answered with three runs in the sixth to pull within one, but were shut out in the seventh inning, as Bakersfield survived, 7-6.
The Lady Bulldogs, who had started the season 3-1, had just come off a tough road loss on Thursday to an explosive Norwood team, 16-7. "The ladies are playing very hard," Gainesville coach Joe Walrath said. "I feel Norwood and Bakersfield have some of the best pitchers in this area.  To go out and make a showing against those teams should help prepare us for the rest of the season." With the losses, Gainesville drops to 4-3. The Lady Bulldogs were scheduled to play Thayer Tuesday. Details from that game were unavailable at press time. Gainesville will travel to Koshkonong on Thursday and Forsyth on Friday.
In other games last week, Gainesville picked up a big win over Fordland, 11-1 on Tuesday. According to Walrath, Lakyn McGee, Shaina Naegele and Micaela Poe provided the offense, while Abby Pittaway pitched a complete game for the Lady Bulldogs.
With the win, the Lady Lions improve to 6-1 on the year and will travel to Hartville on Sept. 19.
Individual statistics for Bakersfield were not provided.

<p>Bakersfield's Kandy Foster hurls a pitch across the plate Friday
as the Bakersfield Lady Lions survived a comeback scare from the
Gainesville Lady Bulldogs to pull out a 7-6 win.</p>