The Fairfield Lady Lions travelled to Aberdeen on Tuesday to play the Ripley Lady Blue Jays in a Southern Hills Athletic Conference and held on for an 8-5 victory.

Fairfield improved to 6-2 in the SHAC and 9-5 overall while Ripley fell to 1-8 in the SHAC and 5-12 overall.

The girls from Leesburg built an early 5-1 lead and added 3 more runs in the top of the fifth inning to take an 8-1 lead. Ripley rallied to score two score runs in the sixth inning and seventh inning, but Fairfield held on.

Emmi Vance and Carly Sanders led a 10-hit attack for the Lady Lion offense with three hits each as Rilee Quickle picked up her third win of the season.

Fairfield scored four runs in the top of the first inning on an RBI fielder’s choice by Faith Miller, a double by Vance, and triple by Katelyn Chambliss.

Fairfield added a run in the top of the third inning on triple by Vance. Ripley scored a run in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 5-1.

The Lady Lions expanded their lead to 8-1 with three more runs in the fifth inning. Jobey Hattan was hit by pitch to lead off the inning. Sydney Sanders followed with a double, Miller reached on an infield error, Vance singled, Chambliss reached on a fielder’s choice, and Carly Sanders singled.

Quickle (3-1) was the winning pitcher for Fairfield. in seven innings she gave up 14 hits and five earned runs on no walks and five strikeouts.

Callie Fultz (0-2) suffered the loss for Ripley.

Fairfield 12, Peebles 11

On Wednesday, Fairfield defeating visiting Peebles in extra innings in another SHAC contest, 12-11.

Peebles set the tone for the game from the first batter. Kaelyn Musser led off with single to left field and Lily McFarland belted a home run over the left field fence. Caydence Carroll was safe on an error and later scored on a base hit to left field by Darby Mills as Peebles took a 3-0 lead.

Fairfield manufactured a run in the bottom of the first inning, turning a lead off base on balls to Sydney Hooper into a run on no hits in the inning.

Peebles scored two more runs in the top of the second inning to take a 5-1 lead.

The Lady Lions offense answered with three runs in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Vance doubled and Chambliss and Carly Sanders walked to load the bases. Addison Bales followed with a double off the right center field fence to drive in Vance and Chambliss as Sanders raced to third. Hooper then scored Sanders on a sacrifice fly to left field to make the score 5-4.

Quickle blanked Peebles in the third, fourth and fifth innings as Fairfield added three runs in the bottom of the third inning and two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. In the third inning, Hattan doubled, Sydney Sanders singled, Miller drove in a run with bunt single, and Vance completed the scoring with a double. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Chambliss singled with two outs and Gwen Cox came off the bench to run for Chambliss. Carly Sanders walked and Addison Bales doubled to the gap in right center field to drive in both runners and give the Lady Lions a 9-5 lead.

Peebles scored a run in the top of the sixth inning, then erupt for five5 runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 11-9 lead heading into Fairfield’s final at bat.

But the Lady Lions never gave up. With one out and no one on base, Vance drew a base on balls and Chambliss followed with a single to advance Vance to second. Carly Sanders hit a ground ball to the second baseman that forced Chambliss at second base as Vance went to third. Vance scored on a wild pitch as Carly Sanders raced to third base. Bales then tied the game, 11-11, with an infield single.

Chambliss, in relief of Quickle, gave up a base on balls to Ashlynn Abbott in the top of the eighth inning and a single to Kylie Shumacher to put runners on first and third bases with one out. But Quickle struck out the lead off batter and got out of the inning with no runs on a ground out.

In the bottom of the extra inning, Quickle doubled to lead off, Hattan drew an intentional walk and Sydney Sanders hit an infield single to load the bases. Miller then walked off the victory with an infield single as Quickle raced home ahead of the throw to the plate.

Fairfield improved to 7-2 in the SHAC and 10-5 overall. Peebles slipped to 3-4 in the SHAC and 5-12 overall.

Submitted by Thomas E. Purtell, Fairfield softball.