By By STEVE FRANKLIN, Sports Writer
Charity Watson’s golden arm was in midseason form and the Pam Pack bats were red-hot on Wednesday as Washington opened its season with a 10-0 rout of North Pitt in five innings.
Watson gave up a bunt hit to Panthers’ shortstop Dana Branch to leadoff the game then didn’t allow another hit the rest of the game as she struck out 11 to help Doug Whitehead earn his first victory as the Pam Pack’s head coach.
Watson got out of an early jam in the first.
She gave up Branch’s single then allowed a walk to Kaitlyn Adams before surrendering a passed ball to put runners on second and third with no out. But the senior hurler settled down with a pair of strikeouts and got out of the jam when Branch was caught trying to steal home on a passed ball.
She settled down from there, allowing just two more base runners the rest of the way.
While Watson did her thing in the circle, Washington’s offense was equally as dominant.
The Pam Pack had seven different players reach base safely as they collected 10 hits and scored 10 runs.
The scoring began in the bottom of the first as leadoff hitter Kristi Wood reached base on an error then Brittany Bryant followed with a single to center. Wood would later score on a groundout by Lilly Ann Arnold, while Bryant crossed the plate on a deep sacrifice fly by Haley Stowe to give the Pack a 2-0 lead.
In the second, Washington put four more runs on the scoreboard as Wood notched an RBI single to score Brittany Moss, before Wood scored a run of her own on a single by Arnold. Two batters later, Watson delivered a two-run double that scored Brittany Bryant and Arnold.
In the third, the Lady Pack added two more runs. Morgan Bryant led off the inning with a single and Moss followed with a single down the right field line. Morgan Bryant would score on an error as North Pitt right fielder Courtney Cyrus tried to make a diving catch on Moss’ hit and in her haste threw the ball away on an attempted throw to third base. Later in the inning, Washinton went up 8-0 as Arnold delivered an RBI single to plate Moss.
The Pack ended the contest in the fifth with two more scores to reach the 10-run mercy rule. Wood, who walked to start the inning, scored on a wild pitch, before Kayla Spain delivered a two-out single to drive in Arnold with the Pack’s 10th run.
Arnold and Brittany Bryant led Washington with a pair of hits each. Arnold had a game-high three RBIs, while Wood scored three times.
The Lady Pack (1-0) will return to the diamond Tuesday when they travel to Northern Nash.
Washington 10, North Pitt 0
North Pitt 000 00 — 0 1 2
Washington 242 02 — 10 10 1
WP: Charity Watson (1-0); LP: Rachel Rawls (0-1)
North Pitt (0)
Dana Branch 1-3 (single)
Washington (10)
Kristi Wood 1-2 (RBI, 3 RUNS), Brittany Bryant 2-4 (RUN), Lilly Ann Arnold 2-3 (3 RBIs), Haley Stowe 0-3 (RBI), Charity Watson 1-1 (2 RBIs), Kayla Spain 1-4 (RBI), Morgan Bryant 2-2 (RUN), Brittany Moss 1-2 (2 RUNS).