Lee Softball drops GSC series to Mississippi College
The Lady Flames softball team fell short this weekend to a double-header against the Mississippi Choctaws. Despite the loss, the team continues to press forward for their next match against Christian Brothers March 23.
Photo courtesy of GoLeeFlames.
On a blustery spring day, the Lady Flames fell twice to Mississippi College. In the opener the Lady Flames lost 7-2 and 12-2 in the second game. It was just not the Lady Flames' day, as the home team struggled against the Choctaws' powerful offense.
In the first inning of the first game, the Lady Flames jumped out to an early 2-0 lead behind sophomore center fielder Lily Hatcher’s triple, scoring junior shortstop Kayla Louie.
Sophomore starting pitcher Shonna Penney kept Mississippi College off the board in the first inning with strong pitching.
“I had a mindset of keeping the ball low and letting my different speeds work to my advantage,” said Penney. “My teammates made some great plays behind me.”
In the second inning, the Choctaws were able to put one run on the board, before exploding with four in the third inning behind a three-run homer by catcher Carly Crawford. The fourth inning led to no scoring, with both teams playing strong defense.
The Lady Flames continued to fight, holding Mississippi College to only two runs the rest of the way, but the damage was already done.
Senior pitcher Stevie Baird came in during the sixth inning to finish the game, but the Lady Flames offense could not get going and resulted in a 7-2 loss.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Choctaws came out swinging.
Mississippi College first baseman, Brianna Caldwell, hit a two-run homer after a double by Crawford to put the Lady Flames in a 3-0 hole. The Lady Flames could not quite recover, as run after run kept pouring in and Mississippi College mounted a double-digit lead.
The Lady Flames kept putting forth effort, and in the fourth inning, Abby McKinney hit a two-run shot, leaving fans cheering in the stands. The game ended after five innings with a final score of 12-2.
Penney had nothing but positives to say about her team, even in spite of a tough outing.
“I’m fortunate enough to play on a team that is full of such great talent, and unfortunately today wasn’t our day,” said Penney. “Our coaches invest a lot of their time to focus on the fundamentals and playing our best game every game. We, as a team, continue to work on being more consistent on the routine plays.”
Next on the schedule, the Lady Flames will host Christian Brothers on March 23 and 24 in a conference battle.
