East Ridge bats stay hot with 9-0 rout of West Orange to open region softball

CLERMONT — You know things are going good when you can laugh about a bunt double in the dugout. The East Ridge girls softball team had the scenario in third inning of the Knights’ 9-0 Class 7A, Region 3 quarterfinal rout of West Orange on Thursday night. East Ridge likes to pound the ball and the Knights average 11 runs per game, but it was a dribbler that was the big blow for East Ridge on this night.

Senior second basemen Veronica Peterson, the coach’s daughter, and senior catcher Leila Bolden led off the third inning with a pair of singles, then senior pitcher Simmone Hymiller offered up the mighty blast. It was a bunt that caught the West Orange infield sneaking in and the ball made its way to the outfield grass while Peterson and Bolden rounded the bases and Hymiller rolled into second with a double. CrossFit star Molly O’Hara of East Ridge is Girls Weightlifter of the Year Sophomore shortstop Molly O’Hara, the granddaughter of legendary football coach Bud O’Hara, then stepped to the plate and blasted an RBI double and would score on a sacrifice ground out by Kaitlyn Halley to stoke East Ridge to a 3-0 lead and that’s all the Knights would need.

In the East Ridge lineup, everybody hits. From the top of the order to the bottom, the Knights pound the cover off the ball. Things were no different Thursday night.

East Ridge pounded out 10 hits in support of senior pitcher Hymiller, who shut out West Orange for the second straight time in a week 9-0. East Ridge (25-2) also defeated West Orange last week in the district championship 12-0. Hymiller scattered three West Orange hits and showed great command of her pitches in working through her arsenal of spinners and fastballs.