Lady Cyclones be-deviled by Byrd
Published 10:21 pm Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones shortstop Sadie Williams (25) draws a bead on the first out of the bottom of the first, off the bat of Unicoi’s Aaliyah Engle (7), in shallow left field.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones third baseman Katie Gryder (18) scoops up a ground ball off the bat of Unicoi’s Kianna Woodward (3) and fires to first for the second out of the bottom of the first.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Blue Devils starting pitcher Lela Byrd (00) throws her warmup pitches prior to the start of the game.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones’ Adrian Heading (00) slides in safely under the tag of Unicoi’s shortstop Kyndal Engle (11) for a stolen base in the top of the second inning.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones starting pitcher Lilly McDuffie (13) reacts to being plunked in the ribs in the top of the second inning.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones shortstop Sadie Williams (25) makes the catch on Unicoi’s Carly Baxter’s (2) soft liner for the second out in the bottom of the second inning.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones center fielder Adrian Heading (00) makes the running catch on the slicing fly ball off the bat of Unicoi’s Aaliyah Engle (7) for the final out of the bottom of the second inning.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones second baseman Abby Campbell (1) holds the runner, Unicoi’s Lela Byrd (00), then fires to first in time to get Abigail Peterson (15) for the final out of the bottom of the first.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones starting pitcher Lilly McDuffie (13) fires a strike in the top of the third inning.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones’ Adrian Heading (00) slides into second safely as Unicoi’s shortstop Kyndal Engle (11) waits for the throw from home in the top of the fourth inning.
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Star Correspondent
ERWIN – Unicoi County righthander Lela Byrd held the Elizabethton Lady Cyclones hitless through three and one-third innings and scoreless through five frames as the Lady Blue Devils toppled EHS 6-1 on Tuesday at Unicoi County High School.
“She threw great tonight,” Lady Cyclones head coach Kenneth Hardin said. “We got more bats on her pitches tonight than the first time we faced her. We’re getting there.”
Lilly McDuffie started in the circle for the Cyclones (19-6, 3-4 conference), and she got through a scoreless first frame with just one hit by Byrd, who tapped an infield single. Byrd finished two-for-two with two walks and two runs scored, in addition to her solid work in the circle.
Byrd finished with 10 strikeouts, one walk and one hit batter, and her only mistake was a fastball to Sadie Williams in the fifth that she crushed over the centerfield fence.
“Sadie just sat on a fastball, and she didn’t miss it,” Hardin said. “We had several base runners get on tonight; we just didn’t get them in. If we don’t have that one bad inning, it’s a 2-1 game.”
That bad inning came in the bottom of the fourth with Unicoi holding a 2-0 lead, when Aliyah Engle beat out a bunt to the pitcher with two outs in the frame. Kianna Woodward then singled to shortstop, plating Engle.
Byrd was then intentionally walked to bring up freshman first baseman Abigail Peterson, and she blasted a three-run homer over the fence in left field to make it a 6-0 contest. The Devils scored single runs in the second and third frames, with Peyton Higgins and Kendall Engle driving in runs, respectively.
Laci Gobble came on in relief in the fifth, and she pitched two solid innings, giving up just one hit over her two innings of work. For Unicoi, Peterson finished two-for-three with a run scored and three RBI, and as a team, the Blue Devils accumulated 10 hits.
Unicoi County 6, Elizabethton 1
Elizabethton 000 010 0 – 1 3 1
Unicoi Co. 011 400 x – 6 10 1
W – Byrd. L – McDuffie.
HR – Peterson, Williams.
