West Union softball rallies from 10-3 deficit to beat Ripley 17-12

Down 10-3 after three innings, West Union finally found the response that had been missing all spring. The Lady Dragons turned a rough start into a 17-12 win at Ripley on April 15 in Southern Hills Athletic Conference play, earning their first victory of the 2026 season and showing a fight that had not surfaced during the opening five losses.

The breakthrough came after West Union absorbed an early punch. Ripley scored six runs in the first inning and led 10-3 by the end of the third, but the Lady Dragons kept climbing back, inning by inning. West Union scored twice in the fourth, once in the fifth and five times in the sixth to move in front 11-10. Ripley answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to reclaim the lead, setting up a decisive seventh in which West Union scored six more times and then shut the door in the bottom half.

Lauren Ellis gave West Union the breathing room it needed in relief. She worked five innings, allowed two runs, one earned, and earned the win while helping steady a defense that had been under pressure from the opening inning. The Lady Dragons finished with 14 hits, and the game was as messy as it was dramatic, with West Union and Ripley each charged with eight errors in a wide-open afternoon that kept producing extra chances.

Lylah Adams, Harlee Hayslip and Piper Stapleton each collected three hits for West Union. Hayslip’s day included extra-base damage, and Addison Mashburn went 2-for-6 with a double and three RBI. The box score showed how balanced the comeback was at the plate: West Union spread the production across the lineup and kept the pressure on until Ripley finally broke in the late innings.

Ripley had its own big offensive performances, led by senior Brooklyn Manning, who went 4-for-5 with three doubles. Abbi Taylor added a double and a first-inning home run, and Callie Fultz finished with four hits, including two doubles. Ripley outhit West Union 15-14, but the Lady Dragons made the key plays when it mattered most, a sign that the team’s first win may have marked more than just a number in the standings.

West Union later returned to play Ripley again on April 20, then went on to Eastern Brown on April 21 and hosted Lynchburg on April 23. After later losses to Eastern Pike and Whiteoak, the Lady Dragons stood at 1-7, but the Ripley rally showed a team that could still answer after getting knocked down.