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Quick starts benefit Warwick's softball team
By Dave Johnson | djohnson@dailypress.com

NEWPORT NEWS -- Warwick coach Jimmy Dawson has turned the softball field at Riverside Elementary into one of the best in the Peninsula District. But maybe the Raiders should consider playing their remaining games on the road.

Not that home-field advantage means all that much, but batting first - as the visitors do - seems to. For the second time in three days, Warwick jumped out early and put pressure on the home team. The Raiders scored eight runs in the first two innings and cruised to a 17-4 win over Woodside on Wednesday afternoon.

"When we're the visitors and we start off hitting, that allows us to get some momentum going and then we take that into the field," second baseman Sarah Atkins said. "That's what we did against Menchville (Monday) when we scored four runs in the first. Today, we had three in the first and five in the second.

"Everybody one through nine pounded the ball today. We've been solid all the way through the lineup."

Warwick (11-3, 11-2 Peninsula District) had 16 hits, four (a double, a triple and two singles) coming from Atkins. She also had three RBI and scored three runs. Right fielder Tiera Gostomski went 3-for-5 with two RBI, and pitcher Travonna Byrd, shortstop Alex Ward and first baseman Chelsea Dawson had two hits apiece.

"We hit the ball today, no doubt about it," Dawson said. "We keep telling the players, if you hit the ball, good things will happen."

Warwick didn't need any help, but Woodside (9-4, 9-4) still was charitable. The Wolverines committed 10 errors, four coming in one inning. Throw in a combined five wild pitches and four hit batters by pitchers Regina Rodriguez and Gabby Andino, and it was an ugly day for the home team.

"This was the worst game in the history of Woodside softball," coach Mike Tallon said. "In 11 years, we'd never been beaten this bad."

Dawson's two-run single got things started in the first inning, and then a third run scored on an error. In the second inning, Warwick scored five runs off five hits, but three Wolverine errors factored in.

Given that the second-place Raiders led Woodside by only a game in the standings coming in, the final margin was surprising.

"We knew they were right behind us," Atkins said. "But we came out on top of our game."

WARWICK 17, WOODSIDE 4

Warwick 350 243 0 - 17 16 1

Woodside 030 010 0 - 4 5 10

WP - Byrd (6-1). LP - Rodriguez (5-2). Standouts - Warwick, Byrd 2-6 (2 runs), Ward 2-4 (4 runs), Atkins 4-5 (3 runs, 3 RBI), Gostomski 3-5 (2 runs, 2 RBI), Dawson 2-4 (3 RBI). Records - Warwick 11-3, 11-2; Woodside 9-4, 9-4.