The Richmond Hill Middle School Lady Cats softball squad upped their record to 2-0 Tuesday with a 16-3 win over perennial powerhouse Effingham County.

Early on, it looked as though the game would be the hard-fought battle the coaches expected going in. After the first two batters in the first inning went down by strikeout, first baseman Trisha Jennings drew a walk. From there, Richmond Hill sent 11 more batters to the plate and scored eight runs. The inning was highlighted by a 2-RBI double off the bat of catcher Olivia Bascombe.

Starting pitcher Lauren Simerly continued to impress, striking out 12 batters for the second straight game. In two starts, Simerly is now 2-0 with an ERA of 0.67. She has 24 strikeouts against only three walks and two hits allowed in nine innings pitched.

Following the big first inning, the Lady Cats piled on two more runs in each of the next two frames, followed by four more in the top of the fourth. The game was halted after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.

Bascombe led all hitters in the game, ending the day 3-for-4 with a double, triple and 4 RBI. LF Sydney Millek was 2-for-2 with a double and 3 RBI. Second baseman Erin Morrisey added a double, and RF Sophia Lorimer scored three runs and drove in two.

The Lady Cats continue their season at Ebenezer Middle School on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 4:30 p.m.