BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Northside Christian Academy’s softball team had a six-game winning streak snapped by Jacksonville’s Old Plank Christian Academy, which defeated the Eagles 16-5, but it was just the second loss on the season for the Eagles, who had been mostly dominant up to that point.
The Eagles entered the April 21 home game versus Old Plank with an 8-1 record. One of those wins was by forfeit, but Northside won the other seven by an average margin of 10 runs. Some of those wins were by 15-0 over Jacksonville’s Cedar Creek Christian, 14-2 over Gainesville Christian Community and 19-2 over Valdosta, Georgia’s Open Bible Christian.
Northside took the early lead against Old Plank in the bottom of the first. Briley Parrish drew a bases-loaded walk to force a run in, while Brooke Parrish drove in another run on a ground out to make the score 2-0.
The Eagles fell behind 3-2, but took the lead again with a two-run second. Northside loaded the bases with one out, with Chylee Kahakua hitting a single and Ava Welsh and Rosalea Norman drawing walks. With two outs, Briley Parrish hit a single that scored two runs, making the score 4-3.
Welsh had an RBI in the third to put the Eagles ahead 5-3.
The game got away from the Eagles when Old Plank took advantage of timely hitting and multiple errors to score nine runs in the fifth.
Prior to the Old Plank game, Norman, in 23 at-bats, led the team with an on-base percentage of .782, followed by Brooke Parrish (.727 in 22 at-bats), Harli Mosley (.680 in 25 at-bats), Karissa Lawrence (.653 in 26 at-bats), Briley Parrish (.653 in 26 at-bats), Anna Conner (.640 in 25 at-bats), Welsh (.576 in 26 at-bats) and Kahakua (.560 in 25 at-bats).
Brooklyn Cooper and Chloe Templeton have on-base percentages of .727 and .636 in 11 at-bats each, while Jodey Garrison has a percentage of .800 in six at-bats. Callie Potts had a .600 percentage in five at-bats.
Lawrence led the team in RBI with nine, while Conner and Briley Parrish each had eight. Kahakua and Mosley each had seven RBI, followed by Norman with six, Brooke Parrish with five, Cooper with three, Templeton and Welsh with two each, and Garrison and Potts with one each.
Brooke Parris had a 5-1 record as a pitcher, giving up 32 hits and striking out 30 in 29 innings.
Northside rebounded from the Old Plank loss, defeating host Hope Christian 13-8 on April 22. The Eagles then lost 9-8 to host Corinth Christian Academy on April 25 in Jasper.
The Eagles host Gainesville Christian Community on Thursday, April 28, at 3 p.m. and then host High Springs’ First Christian on Friday, April 29, at 4 p.m. Northside travels to play Waycross, Georgia’s Southside Christian on Thursday, May 5, at 4 p.m. before returning home to play Hope on Friday, May 6, at 4 p.m.
