Wewa swamps Sneads, falls 1-0 to 6A Chiles

The Wewahitchka Lady Gators split two softball games last week and lost a third to Mother Nature to end the week with a 5-2 record and remain atop Class 1A District 4 at 2-0. 

On Tuesday, March 8, Chiles senior Jaden Martinez and Wewa’s Haley Guffey locked horns in a classic pitchers’ duel, which the Class 6A Timberwolves ended up winning 1-0 courtesy of a bases-empty four-bagger by Martinez in the fourth inning. 

Martinez surrendered only a first-inning single to Guffey while striking out 10 Gators and walking none en route to the win, while her Gator counterpart kept her team in the contest by allowing just four hits and only one free pass while striking out nine. 

Senior Brooke Baker stole two bases for Chiles, and her freshman teammate Adelyn Matthews topped that with three steals of her own. Matthews also had two hits for the Timberwolves. 

Wewa managed three swiped bases of its own, with 7th grader Eden Rustin running for two and freshman Laiken Ferrell getting another. 

With the win, Chiles improved to 5-2 for the season. 

Returning to the friendly confines of Fortner Field and taking advantage of a lull in the rainy weather, Wewa thrashed the Sneads Pirates 10-2 on Thursday, March 10. 

The Gators scored two runs in the first, four in the third, and two more in both the fourth and sixth innings. Sneads briefly tied the game 2-2 in the top of the third before Wewa pulled away. 

Guffey sent 17 Pirates back to the bench with strikeouts, walked two, and allowed only two hits and one earned run in gaining the win. She also drove in two Gator runs with a double, but senior center fielder Kylie Parker did one better with a home run and three RBI. 

The other two Gator seniors made positive contributions, too, with catcher Morgan Mayhann getting a hit and scoring a run, while shortstop Katie Shealy scored three times, stole two bases, and drove in another. 

Junior Madison Forehand and sophomore Ashley Thompson had two hits each, with Forehand swiping a base and driving in a run. Thompson scored a run, as did her twin sister Hope (one hit) and freshman Keersten Easter. 

Laiken also drove in a run, and eighth grader Emma Rustin stole a base for the complete Gator team effort. 

Although Trenton High School was scheduled to visit Wewa on Friday, March 11, they opted to cancel the game due to the uncertain weather conditions in the Panhandle. 

Now on Spring Break, the Gators will play host to Port St. Joe on Tuesday, March 22.