Taylor Long sets strikeout record
The Sonoraville Lady Phoenix earned a huge region win on Tuesday night with a 6-1 victory over a talented Rockmart team at home. Starting pitcher Taylor Long had an outstanding game, breaking a Sonoraville softball record for strikeouts in a single game with 18.
Sonoraville softball coach Natasha Hufstetler was elated with Long’s performance.
“She (Long) started off the first inning by giving up a hit right away and walking the next batter,” Hufstetler said. “I told her to reset and calm down. Then, she comes back and strikes out the next three. She was hitting her spots really well. She got into a couple of jams on the day but consistently kept working back. Her rise ball was working really well. She was throwing it on all different counts. It (the ball) was really moving, and they (Rockmart) were chasing balls out of the zone. She just had a really great outing.”
Although Long’s historic performance against Rockmart was not expected that night, Hufstetler was not surprised that Long was capable of it.
“Obviously, we have very high expectations for Taylor,” Hufstetler said. “She works really hard, and she wants to help her team out every time she’s out there. We were a little bit shocked that it was 18 (strikeouts) because you just don’t see that very often, but I’m not surprised because Taylor just works so hard.”
It was a big night all around for the Long family, as Taylor’s sister Kinsley Long led the Lady Phoenix in batting, recording two hits, two runs and an RBI.
“Kinsley (Long) has worked extremely hard to come back from a knee injury,” Hufstetler said. “She has just been very consistent at the plate. Even if she gets beat her first at-bat, she comes back and makes adjustments. She had some really nice line drive shots today.”
Sonoraville started the game hot, as they scored three runs in the opening inning including an RBI single by Kinsley Long (sent in Daelynn Cochran) and an error by Rockmart (wild throw that missed first) that allowed Kinsley Long to score. Both teams scored a run apiece in the fifth inning.
Alexis Teems of Rockmart (1-2, 0-1) scored on an error (dropped pop fly) in the top of the inning, as a part of her three-hit day for the Lady Yellow Jackets. Sonoraville answered in the bottom of the inning with a scoring run by Kinsley Long, who was sent in by Olyvia Hopper’s sacrifice ground out.
The Lady Phoenix (2-2, 2-0) added two more runs in the sixth inning via a wild pitch that allowed Jacy Smith to steal home, and later in the inning, Cochran’s sacrifice grounder allowed Scarlett Hunter to score to make it 6-1.
Hufstetler is encouraged and enthused by Lady Phoenix’s promising start to the season.
“We are just excited,” Hufstetler said. “We tell the girls to take it one game at a time, and so to come out and now be 2-0 in the region, we’re just very proud of them. They’re working really hard at practice. It’s a great start for them.”
Sonoraville’s next game is at home versus Lafayette on Monday at 5:30 p.m.