LEBANON — The campus of Lyman Memorial High School was buzzing with activity Wednesday afternoon, with the varsity softball, tennis, outdoor track and field and junior varsity baseball teams all in action.
With a large crowd on hand, the Lyman softball team treated fans to a back and forth game with Ledyard High School.
The Bulldogs rallied from eight runs down to defeat Ledyard 13-12.
After falling behind 8-0, Kassidy LaTour got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning.
After Ledyard added a run in the top of the fourth inning, the Bulldogs scored three in the bottom half of the inning to make it a 9-4 game.
It was a whole new ballgame though when Lyman scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to draw even with Ledyard.
That inning, second baseman Loretta Svedarsky drove a two-run single and first baseman Natani Spears hit an RBI triple.
Ledyard added one in the sixth inning and two in the seventh to make it a 12-9 game.
In Lyman’s last at bat of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, right fielder Reagan Reid hit a two-run single to limit the deficit to one.
With two outs, third baseman Lena-Maria Byers came up clutch for the Bulldogs, hitting a two-run double to win the game by a scoreline of 13-12.
Byers said it was nerve-wracking stepping up to the plate in that situation, however she was able to control her emotions and deliver the game-winning hit.
“It was very scary,” Byers said regarding stepping up to bat with the game on the line. “With two outs, you’re kind of nervous, you don’t want to make the last out. I just took a deep breath, stepped in the box and hit the ball.”
Lyman’s Head Varsity Softball Coach Ron Vigue said that even when the team trailed by eight runs, he still believed they would rally back from the deficit.
“I told them out there when it was 8-0 that I still have confidence we could beat them,” he said. “I knew we could hit that pitcher. The girls in the top of the lineup are better at hitting faster pitching, they just have to learn to hit the ball deep. Once we got the second time through the order, I knew we would have more success against them.”
LaTour pitched a complete game for the Bulldogs, striking out four, walking one and allowing seven earned runs on 18 hits. After the team was trailing 8-0, she was able to limit Ledyard’s offense so Lyman could get back into the game.
Following their win over Ledyard Wednesday, Lyman is now 9-3 on the season and has won seven games in a row.
In their next game, the Bulldogs will take on Plainfield High School on the road Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
