Lady Tigers roll in opener
♦ Both teams work through rough patches as the 2018 season begins.
A week of rain and less-than perfect practice conditions made Saturday’s season-opening softball game between Darlington and Coosa a must-have for each team’s coach to judge just where their teams stood at this early point.
While the visiting Lady Eagles cracked the scoreboard ¿UVW 'DUOLQJWRQ WRRN FKDUJH with an 11-run inning and worked its way to a 21-9 win.
Pitching became the source of most of each WHDP¶V FRQFHUQV ZLWK Coosa’s Shelby Nutter and Kaylee Clayton combining for 20 walks and seven hits. Darlington committed four HUURUV DOORZLQJ &RRVD WR SXW some runs on the board at opportune times.
“It’s something we needed WR GR QR PDWWHU ZKDW DQG that’s why we worked hard to get this game in after all of WKH UDLQ ZH KDG WKLV ZHHN ´ Darlington coach Matt Larry said. “We knew we needed WR SOD\ ´
The game was called in the bottom of the fourth due to the run rule when Caroline Dingler brought in two runs on a sharp grounder GRZQ WKH OHIW ¿HOG OLQH WKDW added a triple to her RBI double from earlier.
Darlington (1-0) batted around and took advantage of seven walks and two Coosa errors in the bottom of the ¿UVW WR WDNH DQ OHDG Coosa (0-1) scored six runs LQ WKH WKLUG EXW ZHQW in the fourth down 17-9.
OPENER,
Emma Payne got Coosa started off with a double and scored three runs, while Mary Nichols had a tworun double. Lady Eagles coach Chris Jacobs said he was “extremely proud” of his team as they go into Region 7-AA play Thursday at Dade County.
“We’ve got a mixture of young girls and some older girls, but we’re going WR FRQWLQXH WR ¿JKW ´ KH VDLG ³:H¶YH just got to step up and continue to work hard.”
Darlington’s Kinsey Love made KHU ¿UVW DSSHDUDQFH RQ WKH PRXQG stepping in for an injured Kathryne Ledbetter, who has been Darlington’s go-t0 starter. Love threw two innings, giving up two hits and walking three while striking out two. She also had an RBI single and a two-run single.
“We had to find somebody to pitch and Kinsey has a lot of heart and stepped up for the team. She did a good job,” Larry said. “We make a couple of plays behind her, we get RXW RI WKDW ¿UVW LQQLQJ ZLWKRXW JLYLQJ up a run.”
Darlington continues its non-region schedule Tuesday hosting Chattooga.