Eastern Brown High School’s Allie Grooms releases a pitch during action April 26, 2023, against Williamsburg High School at the Williamsburg field.
Eastern Brown High School’s Alyssa Perkins takes a cut while eyeing the ball during action April 26, 2023, against Williamsburg High School at the Williamsburg field.
Eastern Brown High School’s Grace Prewitt secures the throw to first base for the out, ahead of Williamsburg High School’s Madi Speeg (7), on April 26, 2023, at the Williamsburg field.
On days when she pitches, Eastern Brown High School sophomore Allie Grooms typically pitches in on offense with a dangerous bat, too, for the Lady Warriors softball team. A true double threat.
And on days she doesn’t pitch? Well, in a recent game, she doubled up at the plate. And then some.
Grooms pitched 4-2/3 innings of one-hit ball and knocked in two runs with two doubles in a 5-1 victory over Williamsburg High School on April 26 at the Williamsburg field.
Then, on April 27 – an off day on the mound for Grooms after pitching against Williamsburg the previous day – she had a day at the plate to remember, going 4-for-4 with three home runs, a double, seven RBI and three runs scored as the Warriors defeated North Adams 12-3 on Senior Night at the Eastern Brown field.
The seniors also shined on their night: Sarah Clark went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored, Alissa Duncan was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, Alyssa Perkins had two hits and a run scored, Lacey Dunseith had an RBI, and Sophia Edmisten chipped in with a double.
“Senior Night … went very well for all our seniors who contributed to the win. And Allie Grooms hitting three home runs in the game,” Eastern Brown coach Chris Tomlin said of keys to the victory.
Grooms is tied for first in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference with five home runs, is third in RBI with 32 and is ninth in batting average at .536. She also has 10 doubles.
On the mound, she is 12th in the conference in strikeouts (45 in 32 innings) while pitching considerably fewer games than most of those above her. Through last week, she is 3-2 with a 3.063 earned run average.
Junior Grace Prewitt, who switches off with Grooms on the mound for the Lady Warriors, pitched all seven innings against North Adams, allowing five hits and three runs while striking out 13.
Prewitt also came on in relief of Grooms against Williamsburg, allowing two hits in 2-1/3 innings. She also had a hit, a run scored and an RBI in the game. And behind Grooms and Prewitt, the Lady Warrior defense played error-free ball against the Lady Wildcats.
“The Williamsburg win was outstanding pitching performances by both Allie Grooms and Grace Prewitt. And it was an all-around solid defensive game,” Tomlin said.
Eastern Brown finished 3-1 last week, which included a 23-0 victory over North Adams on April 24 to start the week. Through last week, the Lady Warriors sit in third place in the SHAC Division I standings at 6-4 and are 10-7 overall.