Robinson bottles Syrupmaids in win

Published 2:00 pm Thursday, September 22, 2022

TIFTON — The final score was a bit closer than Taylor Barber wanted, but everything else went according to plan for Tift County’s head softball coach Sept. 21. Lily Robinson pitched very well, the Lady Devils scored often and they won an 8-5 decision over Cairo.

The contest with the Syrupmaids was a make-up from early in the season and the only non-region game of the week. Thursday, Tift (8-8) split games at Veterans.

Tift had plenty of offense, but Robinson was arguably the star of the show. In her best start of the year, the freshman gave up one earned run over five innings, striking out three.

“She was absolutely fantastic,” said Barber.

Cairo jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning, but never seriously threatened Tift’s lead afterwards. Jada Vickers and Abby Faircloth reached base on a single and error, respectively. Vickers scored on the error and Navayah Johnson brought home Faircloth on a sacrifice fly.

Cairo had the bases loaded with two outs, but Robinson finished the inning with a strikeout. The Syrupmaids scored twice in that initial opportunity. Robinson gave them no chances over her next four innings.

The opening inning was the only one where Tift was behind.

Ella Bruce slashed a single past shortstop to lead off the Lady Devils’ half of the 1st. Teammates Loralee Bennett, Bailee Williams and Gracee Wood followed her with patience. All three drew walks, allowing Bruce to score an easy run. Cairo buckled down for two outs, then a slow roller by Angie Martinez to short turned into a hit and error, with Bennett and Williams making it a 3-2 game.

“I thought our approach in the box was really, really good,’ Barber said.

Robinson breezed through the 2nd and Tift immediately added to its lead.

Bruce lined another single and Bennett walked again. This time, Williams got a pitch to hit and cracked a double to right field, scoring Bruce. With two down, Wood extended the inning with a walk and Macy Hand made the visitors pay with a two-run single.

The Lady Devils now had a bit of room at 6-2, which became 8-2 with a run in each of the next two innings.

Lexi Smith made the seventh run, courtesy running for Martinez, who induced another error by the Syrupmaids’ defenders. Abby Henderson sacrificed her over and Bennett got the RBI on a double. A wild pitch in the 4th scored Delanie Jewell, whose triple nearly cleared the fence.

The lead was more than enough for Robinson, who breezed through the rest of her five innings of work. She got defensive help from the Lady Devils, including a double play from Williams. Cairo had singled their way on base in the 4th, but were then caught wandering too far on a pop foul. Williams made the catch, then ran and stepped on first to double up the runner.

The 1st inning scrappiness and the double play were both example of the “1-0” mentality, he said, where they take the game pitch-by-pitch, forgetting anything bad and working on the present.

Barber wanted to get Wood more time in the circle against Cairo and brought her in to pitch the last two innings.

Vickers, Faircloth and Meagan Meadows scored runs in the 7th, but the six-run lead going into the frame meant Tift was never too worried.

The Lady Devils top five went 16 of 17 against Northside on Sept. 19. Bruce and Bennett held up their end of the bargain against Cairo, Bruce going 3-for-3 and Bennett 2-for-2. Hand and Martinez drove in two runs each. Tift is hitting .414 as a team in the month of September.

Wood worked the last two innings. Though Cairo scored in the 7th, it was the environment Barber wanted for her. Northside was very laid back, he said. Against Cairo, “It was good to put her in the box with some very good hitters.” Wood worked her way out of the jam, closing out the victory with a strikeout.