Grayson County’s Cougar softball team closed out its preseason on a bright note last Friday evening as they pounded regional rival Apollo 11-1.

Junior Victoria Decker earned the win, pitching five innings of scoreless ball. Decker allowed just two hits, struck out six and walked none She helped her own cause by belting a solo home run in the first inning.

Decker was relieved by sophomore Jessika Young in the sixth. Young pitched the final two innings, allowing one run on two hits. She walked one and struck out one.

After striking out the first two Apollo batters, Decker found herself in a jam after three straight errors, the last one by Decker herself, loaded the bases. But Decker closed out the E-Gals by striking out Chasity McNeely to end the threat.

Decker make it 1-0 Cougars in the bottom of the first when she picked on a 2-2 pitch with one out and sent it high up on the hill behind the right-centerfield fence for a home run.

Grayson County made it 2-0 with an unearned run in the second inning. Chelsea Pharris was safe at first on an error by shortstop Mackenzie Weedman. Sydney Clark followed with a sacrifice bunt and Pharris kept running on the play and was safe at third..

Kailea Gill walked, then stole second before Pharris came home on a sacrifice fly by Claire Crawford.

The Cougars put the game away in the third when they sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six times to make it 8-0. A walk and a Jordan Decker double put runners at second and third for Young, who drove in both runners with a single to right.

Morgan Sebastian followed with a ground ball to second base and both runners were safe when the throw from Kim Williams was wide of the bag. Pharris singled to left to load the bases before Clark plated two runs with a looping single to right. Gill then followed with a double to the screen in right-center to bring in the fifth and sixth runs of the inning.

The Cougars scored their final two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Crawford led off with a walk and one out later went to second on a single up the middle by Kaylan Shull.

Victoria Decker doubled into the gap in right-center to drive in Crawford before Jordan Decker brought in Victoria with a single up the middle.

The E-Gals scored their only run of the game in their final at bat. With one out, Young walked center-fielder Jessica Austin, who later reached second base on a passed ball. Right-fielder Sherry Schadler followed with a single up the middle to plate Austim. Young retired the next two batters on fly balls to the outfieldto end the game.