The Cornersville Lady Bulldogs got a chance to fine tune their team before the start of the 2013 softball season when they split four games at the Shelbyville Play Day on Saturday at Musgrave Park.

Cornersville opened the day with an 8-0 win over the Community Viqueens before dropping an 8-2 decision to the Lawrence County Lady Wildcats.

After losing 5-0 to Grundy County, the Lady Bulldogs defeated the South Pittsburgh Lady Pirates 6-0 to finish the day with a 2-2 record..

"We hit better at this play day than we have the last two years. Last year we didn't know what we had so were moving people around all day," said Cornersville coach Eric Crabtree. "We were far more prepared than we were last year. We came into this play day with a set lineup and were able to work some kinks out."

CHS vs. Community

The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead against Community by pushing across two runs in the top of the first inning. After reaching base on a Viqueen error, Miranda Cooksey stole second and third base before coming home on a RBI groundout by Carson Coble to make it 1-0. Makayla Campbell then laced a triple into the left centerfield gap prior to scoring on a RBI single by Ashley Beard.

Cornersville plated another run in the second inning to open up a 3-0 advantage thanks to a RBI groundout by Cooksey after Kelsey Wortham and Briley Bean led off the frame with consecutive singles.

The Lady Bulldogs went down in order in the third inning, but tallied two runs in the top of the fourth to stretch their lead to 5-0. Following consecutive walks by starting pitcher Taylor Wolaver and Wortham, Wolaver stole third base before scoring on a double steal. Breanne Dunkleman then drove in Wortham with a RBI single to centerfield..

Beard gave Cornersville an 8-0 lead in the top of the fifth when she belted a three-run homer over the centerfield fence after Coble and Campbell both singled to start the inning.

Wolaver picked up the win in the circle and yielded three hits in four scoreless innings of work to go along with two strikeouts.

The Lady Bulldogs, meanwhile, finished with 10 hits and two walks in the contest. Campbell, Beard, and Wolaver each notched two hits to lead Cornersville at the plate with Beard driving in four runs overall. Coble (1 RBI), Wortham, Bean, and Dunkleman each added one hit.

"We played pretty much mistake free ball against Community and were aggressive at the plate. We picked one pitch to hit and it worked fantastically," said Crabtree.. "Taylor pitched real well for her first time out. At this time last year she was hurt."

CHS vs. Lawrence Co.

Cornersville then stepped up in competition when they took on Lawrence County, who has posted 30 wins two out of the last three seasons..

The Lady Wildcats pounced on CHS early, as they crossed home plate four times in the top of the first inning with the help of singles from Kara Brewer and Morgan Beck, a Lady Bulldog error, a two-run triple by Destinie Tariche, and a Kaylee Pope RBI single to take a 4-0 lead.

Cornersville then trimmed the deficit to 4-1 in the bottom of the first when Coble scampered home on a RBI single by Beard after smacking a double down the right field line.

The Lady Bulldogs held Lawrence County scoreless over the next two innings, but the Lady Wildcats stretched their lead to 8-1 in the top of the fourth on the strength of a Holly McNutt single, a double by Brewer, two CHS errors, and a Tariche two-run single.

In the bottom of the fourth, Cornersville plated a run for the 8-2 final when Rogers scored on a RBI groundout by Bean after leading off the frame with a double and advancing to third on a Wolaver single.

Lawrence County starting pitcher Tori Nelson went the distance in the circle to earn the win, yielding two runs over four innings on five hits and a walk to go along with two strikeouts.

Coble, Beard, Rogers, Wolaver, and Dunkleman each registered one hit for the Lady Bulldogs. Bean started the game in the circle for Cornersville and allowed four runs over three innings on four hits and two walks while recording four strikeouts.

CHS vs. Grundy Co.

In their third game, Cornersville could never get their offense on track against Grundy County, as they mustered just two hits and two walks against two Lady Yellow Jacket pitchers. Bean and Wolaver each singled to account for both Lady Bulldog hits.

Wolaver went the distance in the circle and allowed five runs on four hits and a walk over five innings.

After plating an unearned run in the top of the second inning with the help of two CHS errors, Grundy County pushed across three runs in the third to open up a 4-0 advantage. The Lady Yellow Jackets then tacked on another run in the fifth inning on a hit and an error to cap their 5-0 victory.

CHS vs. S. Pittsburg

The Lady Bulldogs, though, saw their bats heat up at the start of their final game, as they tallied five runs in the bottom of the first inning against South Pittsburgh on the strength of a Cooksey walk, a RBI triple by Coble, a Campbell RBI double, an infield single by Beard, a double steal, a Lady Pirate error, and a pair of RBI groundouts by Wolaver and Wortham to grab a 5-0 lead.

Cornersville then tacked on another run in the second inning thanks to a Coble single and a RBI double by Beard to forge a 6-0 advantage before holding South Pittsburgh scoreless over the final three frames to claim their second win of the day.

Bolstered by their first inning barrage, CHS recorded 10 hits and a walk against three Lady Pirate hurlers. Coble, Campbell, Beard, and Wolaver each tallied two hits and a RBI to lead the Lady Bulldogs offensive attack, while Wortham (1 RBI) and Bean both had one hit.

Wolaver also turned in a strong performance in the circle and limited the Lady Pirates to just one hit in five scoreless innings of work while racking up nine strikeouts.