Saying Three Rivers College softball pitcher Emma Crabb has dominated in the circle this season might be a huge understatement.
A left-hander from Mountain Home, Arkansas, Crabb has dominated this spring, compiling an earned-run average of 0.89, striking out almost two batters every inning and has completed 15 of her 18 starts. Her WHIP (walks plus hits divided by innings pitched) is a miniscule 0.698.
That dominance continued on Friday, when Crabb and the Lady Raiders shut out State Fair 4-0 in the first game of a Region XVI doubleheader at J.D. Rains Field.
State Fair took the nightcap, 9-5, to salvage the split.
Crabb once again showed why she might just be one of the top junior college pitchers in the country, as she shut out the Lady Roadrunners on just three hits and one walk while striking out 10 in the opener. She also retired the first seven batters she faced Friday and did not allow a runner past second base until the top of the seventh inning.
Three Rivers (23-13) got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Jayce Jarvis walked, moved to third on Abi Jorgensen's double, then later scored on Madison Wooldridge's double.
The Lady Raiders added another run in the bottom of the third inning when Wriley Taylor singled, stole second and later scored on Wooldridge's grounder, then made it 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Jayden Tucker led off the inning with a single, then pinch-runner Haley Payne ran for her, took second base on a passed ball, stole third and crossed the plate on Olivia Crabb's groundball.
TRC scored its final run in similar fashion in the bottom of the sixth inning. Wooldridge singled, then pinch-runner Madelyn Hefner came in, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Tucker's groundball.
Jorgensen and Wooldridge each had two hits in the opener, while Wooldridge drove in two runs.
Errors haunted the Lady Raiders in Friday's nightcap, as State Fair turned four miscues into seven unearned runs — the difference in the game.
Three Rivers scored three times in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-1 lead, but the Lady Roadrunners turned a pair of TRC errors into a five-run rally in the top of the second inning, taking a 6-3 lead and never trailing again. Another error led to another run in the top of the third inning and a 7-3 lead.
The Lady Raiders did not give up, scoring twice in the bottom of the third inning to get back within two runs at 7-5 as Ashlyn McNeese hit a two-run homer over the right-field fence. However, TRC did not score the rest of the way.
Erica Ross took the loss in the circle despite allowing two earned runs in four innings of work. Bella Harville tossed the last three innings and allowed five hits, two unearned runs and no walks while striking out four.
The Lady Raiders are back home Tuesday when they host St. Charles for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
Mike Buhler - Daily American Republic