JEFFERSONVILLE – Losing a game to a league rival is tough. But there is always a chance for redemption since league foes play each other twice on the regular season schedule. 

For the Sullivan West Lady Bulldogs, the 13-5 road defeat to Tri-Valley earlier this season was one half of the reason that the Lady Westies were 1-2 in league play coming into the rematch with the Lady Bears. What they were looking for was a reversal in polarity to even the score and bring them closer to attaining a sectional berth. 

The Lady Bears came in at 2-1 in league play but 7-3 overall.  That said, by the time the game was over, resulting in 10-4 Sullivan West victory, the two teams each had a 2-2 league mark with 2 remaining league games left to play against other league rivals, namely Burke and Seward. 

In the first game between SW and T-V Jenna Carmody was dominant on the mound for the Lady Bears and equally fierce at the plate. But in this game, the better hurling performance was evinced by SW junior Liz Reeves. 

Both pitchers worked scoreless first inning outings. Both teams stranded runners in that stanza. Reeves overcame a leadoff triple by Riley Kelly to get out of the second inning unscathed. 

The same could not be said for Carmody. After issuing singles to Lanie Herbert who advanced on a passed ball, Karlee Diehl singled, moving Herbert to third. Gracyn Halloran drove in the first three runs the Westies would garner. A bases loaded walk to Kiersten Knapp and another passed ball plated runs two and three. 

T-V got two of those runs back in the top of the third as Carmody singled, stole second and got to third on a passed ball. Emily Rusin’s long ball turned into a four-bagger behind some misplay driving in two runs. Sullivan West failed to score in the bottom of the third. 

Then in the top of the fourth, T-V tied the score 3-3 as Kelly rapped a leadoff double and scored on a single by Sierra Mickelson. In the bottom of the fourth, the Westies erupted for six runs. It all began when Briana Haass was hit by a pitch. Halloran reached on an E-1 and Haass came all the way home on an RBI by Sam Hellerer. A single by Liz Reeves loaded the bases and subsequent hits by Herbert and Diehl ended up giving SW a 9-3 lead. 

T-V added a run in the sixth via an RBI single by Kaitlyn Ingrassia. SW managed only a single run in the bottom of the sixth. The Westies improved to 5-6 (2-2), while Tri-Valley fell to 7-4 (2-2). 

Reeves walked only one and struck out five. Carmody had a reverse stat line with one strike out and five walk. Halloran drove in three runs for Sullivan West.