Friday's prep softball: Tough home loss for Lady Falcons

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Woodlawn Lady Cardinals lived on the edge on Friday, but survived to tell about it.

Leading 6-4 going into the bottom of the seventh at Elverado, Woodlawn (5-2) allowed a run to score and the tying and go-ahead runs to reach base to make things tense, but pitcher Bria McKinzie was able to induce a grounder to Leah Sutton at shortstop who got the force out at second base.

McKinzie pitched around trouble throughout the game, scattering 12 hits while walking one hitter in the complete-game win.

"Bria just continued what she's been doing all year, getting ahead of hitters and making them chase her pitch," said Woodlawn coach Eric Helbig. "She keeps pitching to contact and trusting her defense and it paid off today."

Elverado hung close, scoring a single run in the second inning and tying the game in the fourth, but Woodlawn answered with another two-run frame in the fifth.

"This was a nice win for our team," said Helbig. "Elverado does a lot of little things the right way and anytime you can take them out we should feel good.

Elverado had 14 hits with Kelsey Tuthill going 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Corrine Wilson, Rachel Hunziker, Cortney Morse and Erika Will all had two hits.

Kelsi Teague struck out four.

"When you get three times more the hits than the other team then you should win," EHS coach Donette Wheatley said. "But we walked seven batters and had two errors that really came back to bite us."

Elverado visits Vienna Tuesday.

Mt. Vernon Register-News story-Jeff Profitt contributed.