Seniors lead blowout win over Bruce
MABEN – Tuesday night wasn't the last time that fans of the East Webster Lady Wolverines would see Jennah Pate, Jessi Reed and Jessica Aron swing a bat on Nikki Jones Memorial Field.
There was still a symbolic senior night where the three played their final regular season slow pitch game on their beloved field. They played like it. Pate powered a two-run blast to left center field to get a quick night started and the Lady Wolverines never looked back in their 15-0 blowout win in three innings over Bruce.
“(Tuesday) you had a lot of things that you're playing for," East Webster softball coach Lee Berryhill said. "You wanted to see your seniors go out on a high note and you're also playing for a shot in the playoffs. They came out clean on defense and went after it from there.”
The senior shortstop Pate is hitting the softball as well as any player in the state of Mississippi at this point in the season. Her 3-for-3 senior night was complete with a home run, double and three RBI. Since the Eupora loss two weeks ago, the slugger has smashed 21 hits in her last 24 at bats.
There's no coincidence that with her and fellow senior Jessi Reed's hot streak has come a hot streak by the Lady Wolverines.
Reed finished with a 2-for-3 night with two RBI and a double and Jessica Aron was 1-for-1 with two RBI in the ball game.
While Pate has been a mainstay for East Webster at the plate and in the field, Reed and Jessica Aron have been a big boost this season after injuries a year ago.
“Those are two seniors with a whole lot of experience,” Berryhill said. “We're happy of them on senior night to have a good game and for us to get a win for them.”
The seniors did have some help in the win over the Lady Trojans. After Pate knocked home the first two runs in the first inning, Sydney Dewberry had a two-run double and an RBI single from Jessica Aron made it 5-0.
After sending nine girls to the plate in the first inning, the Lady Wolverines topped that in the second with 12 of them hitting away.
Pate doubled home a run and Jessica Davis added two more on her double to make it 8-0. All total, East Webster scored six runs in the second to make it 12-0 and have them well on its way to a run-rule.
The Lady Wolverines also did their job on defense just giving up three hits in the game and shutting out Bruce.
With three runs in the bottom of the third and a Mari Todd Brown RBI single, the game was over as quickly as it started.
Emily Nason, Davis, Dewberry and Janey Aron all added multi-hit performances for East Webster, which powered 15 hits in just three frames.
With the bats as hot as they can be for the Lady Wolverines, they're trying to keep a potential championship run going this week. They head to Calhoun City on Thursday with redemption from an earlier loss this season and the district championship on the line.
A loss has the Lady Wolverines (19-4) coming home and missing the playoffs.
“We knew it was an all-or-nothing situation and we don't want to be the first team in a long time at East Webster not to make it to the playoffs,” Davis said. “(Thursday's game) is really big. It's either us win and get home field advantage in the playoffs or let our rivals go to the playoffs.”