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Trailing 4-1 in the fourth inning, Northview battled back and beat Jay, Fla. 9-5 in district softball action Thursday night in Bratt.

The Lady Chiefs scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth, and took a lead they’d never give up in the fifth.

NHS softball coach Amy Holland said the girls hadn’t played in a week, and it’s always a rivalry against the Lady Royals.

“We’ve got a really young team this year with one senior and one junior, and we’ve been working on trying to correct some mental errors. We’re just trying to learn to really fight back,” Holland said. “They did just that. They never let it get them down. They fought back, and they pulled together, which was what we were waiting for them to do all year. That’s an improvement from last year, and it’s a good place to be.”

Bailey Burkette went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs to lead NHS. Riley Brooks went 2-for-3 with a single and two RBIs; Aubrey Hadley went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI; Avery Stuckey went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI; Jamison Gilman went 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI; Kylee Langham went 1-for-3 with two runs and an RBI; and Daviona Randolph went 1-for-4 with a run.

Holland said the girls had good approaches behind the plate, adding that they’ve been encouraging them to take quality at bats. She added that the girls did a good job of honing in on hittable pitches.
Mikayla McAnally earned the win in the circle for the Lady Chiefs. McAnally struck out five and allowed one earned run on two hits in 4.0 innings of work.

McAnally came in in relief for senior Jamison Gilman. Gilman allowed four hits, an earned run on four hits in 3.0 innings.

Holland said Gilman and McAnally compliment each other well.

“What compliments both is they both have their two different styles,” Holland said. “It shows, and it’s a good thing to have.”

With the victory, NHS improves to 12-5 overall on the season.

This was Jay’s first loss of the season.

The Lady Chiefs will be back in action tonight at home against Navarre, Fla. First pitch is slated for 5:30 p.m.