The Fayette Lady Falcons picked up a key Central State 8 win over South Callaway on Thursday, 6-3, at home, then ratcheted their winning streak to four with a 13-1 victory at Pilot Grove on Monday night.

Fayette kicked off the four-game streak with a nail-biting 8-7 win over Cairo at home last Monday, then took down former longtime Lewis & Clark Conference opponent Paris 4-1 on the road.

Fayette coach Bri Moore said before the start of the season that she wanted her team to make a statement in the new Central State 8 Conference, which opened competition this fall. The Falcons are now 2-3 after defeating New Bloomfield early in the season and South Callaway last week. The three losses came at the hands of Linn, Russellville, and area rival Harrisburg.

Fayette has one more chance to even its CS8 record to .500 with a game at Eugene (11-12) on Friday.

Thursday’s win over South Callaway came on another strong pitching performance from Fayette senior Skylar Sunderland. She struck out a game-high 12 of 32 total batters faced while allowing three runs (1 earned) on eight hits with two walks.

Fayette’s battery also made a statement at the plate, with Sunderland and catcher Leah Thies hitting back-to-back doubles in the third. The two combined for four of Fayette’s 10 total hits and both of the team’s extra-base hits, each going 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI apiece. Senior Cayle John, sophomores Brooklyn Wies, and Kennedy Vroman, and freshman Emma Hilgedick each singled. Wies and Hilgedick also drove in one run each. Wies recorded Fayette’s only stolen base.

Fayette did most of the damage in the first inning, scoring four runs on six singles to take an early 4-0 lead.

Sunderland and Thies led off the bottom of the third with back-to-back first-pitch doubles. Sunderland led off with a hard line drive to center field. Thies then drove in courtesy runner Kadence Sulltrop with a liner to left to maintain a four-run advantage.

Fayette went up 6-1 in the bottom of the fifth, with John scoring on an error. 

Sunderland held South Callaway’s hitters to all singles except for one big shot, a solo home run by senior Reagan Arrowood in the top of the third to score the Lady Bulldogs’ first run of the game.

Two singles, combined with an error and a walk, allowed South Callaway to plate two more runs with two outs in the top of the seventh to cut Fayette’s lead to three. But a final groundout to Fayette shortstop Paige Vroman ended the game with Fayette on top 6-3.

Back on the road Monday night, Fayette picked up its fourth straight win, taking down Pilot Grove 13-1 in non-conference action.

Fayette picked up two runs in the top of the third and three more in the top of the fourth to build a healthy five-run lead. But eight runs scored in the top of the fifth broke the game open.

Fayette scored 13 runs on just six hits, benefitting from four walks and six errors committed by Pilot Grove. Skylar Sunderland and Leah Thies both finished with two hits. Kennady Vroman, Sunderland, and Thies each doubled. Emma Hilgedick rounded out the hitting with a single.

Sunderland struck out nine batters in four perfect innings pitched. She allowed zero hits or runs and did not issue a walk.

Junior Payton Kindle mopped up for the Falcons, striking out two batters while allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk in one inning of work.

Fayette hosted former L&C rival and potential district opponent Salisbury, on Tuesday after the Advertiser went to press. On Thursday, the Lady Falcons will host Glasgow for senior night. They close out CS8 action on Friday at Eugene (11-12). Fayette returns home for the regular-season finale on Monday to host longtime rival Westran.

Fayette has earned the fifth seed in the seven-team Class 2 District 8. Tournament play gets underway next Wednesday, October 16, in Harrisburg. Fayette will take on Westran for the third time this season in the tournament opener at 4:30 p.m. The winner will move on to face top-seeded Carrollton (18-0) in the semifinals at 5 p.m. on October 17. The unbeaten Trojans received a first-round bye.

Third-seeded Harrisburg takes on Lafayette County, seeded sixth, at 7:30 p.m. on October 16.