Naylor pitcher Chelsea Lane races toward first on a bunt attempt as Twin Rivers' Kayla Cunningham waits to field the ball. The ball rolled foul on the play. (Brad Hurt/DAR) [Click to enlarge]

By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer

BROSELEY -- A couple of key fourth-inning hits made the difference for the Naylor Lady Eagles as they handed Twin Rivers its first loss of the spring Thursday, 3-1.

Hailee Deckard led off the inning with a single to left field and Courtney Sullivan followed with a double to right that tied the game 1-1. Moriah Goodrum added a sacrifice fly to center that score Sullivan, who moved to third on a wild pitch, to put the Lady Eagles ahead.

Sullivan's hit came on a fake bunt attempt in a hit-andrun situation that coach Gene Deckard said she had worked on recently.

"We've just been working on it the past few days, getting the pitching machine up and working on fake swings," said Sullivan, who had two of Naylor's three hits. "I got it down, kept my eye on the ball and kept my head in."

Sullivan doubled and scored on a wild pitch with an insurance run in the sixth and pitcher Chelsea Lane survived a last gasp by the Lady Royals in the seventh to secure the win.

"Chelsea threw a phenomenal game," Naylor coach Gene Deckard said. "The whole game she was changing speeds and throwing the riseball up high."

Lane retired the Lady Royals in order four times and finished the game with six strikeouts. She walked one and scattered five hits, including consecutive hits in the seventh.

Chelsea Crain and Kelci Snider put together back-to-back two-out singles before Lane got Bethany Kiersey to pop out to first for the final out.

Twin Rivers pitcher Carlee Vancil cruised through the first three innings with little trouble, allowing only one baserunner and no hits. She finished the game with 15 strikeouts and allowed three runs on three hits while walking two.

"I started out feeling pretty good and then as we went on, it kind of went down from there, but I just kept going," Vancil said. "That's all you can do."

Goodrum reached on a two-base error to start the second for Naylor (4-2) and reached third on a groundout but remained there as Vancil got out of the jam with a strikeout.

Her counterpart, Lane, got out of a bases-loaded jam in the third inning with only one runner crossing the plate. Crain led off the inning with a bunt single and scored on a bases-loaded walk to Kayla Cunningham before a pop fly to short ended the inning with Twin Rivers up 1-0.

The only other scoring opportunity for the Lady Royals (3-1) came in the sixth when Vancil picked up a two-out double, but Kelci Scott popped out to first to end the inning.

The game was just another exciting battle between the top two teams in the OFC, who played a 10-inning game in September that also resulted in a one-run Naylor victory.

"It seems like every time we hook up with them, that's the way it is," coach Deckard said.

Crain and Snider each went 2-for-3 for the Lady Royals, who stranded six runners.

Sullivan led the way for Naylor, going 2-for-3, while Deckard had the other hit for the Lady Eagles.

"We worked with Courtney on pulling the bat back and swatting it, and she did it," coach Deckard said. "It's no accident that Courtney does that. Against Twin Rivers you've got to risk stuff."