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Apr 16, 2011
By Abigail Ogle
After sweeping the Festival of Champions over the weekend, the Lady Jags softball squad run ruled crosstown rival Southmoore 18-4.
Before the game began, Southmoore Head Coach Jason Lingo and Westmoore head coach Steve Schwarz shared laughs and a light-hearted conversation with the umpires at home plate; but once the game started, the coaches and the teams were all business.
The Lady SaberCats, currently #7, hung with Westmoore for the first few innings. The first two innings were closely contested, with the score tied 2-2 at the end of the second.
By the end of the third, the Lady Jags had the 5-3 lead and didn’t let it go. Then came a 9-run explosion in the 5th inning that ended the game.
“We didn’t have our base hits going at the beginning,” Westmoore’s Megan Barnett said. “But once we started hitting our pitches, the game turned around.”
Although the scoreboard looks lop-sided, Southmoore was competitive.
SaberCats senior Haley Strawn and Rachel Copus both hit balls over the fence and Braeden Bradshaw had an RBI triple in the first inning.
But the Westmoore girls once again proved why they are ranked first in the state. Patty Padgett, Carley Tupper, Kendra Pierce and Melaney Anderson all had homers, and Taylor Green helped rack up runs with her grand slam.
After the game, Schwarz praised his team for the win, but noted there is always room for improvement.
“He told us we need to get our base hits,” Westmoore senior Rachel Rischard said. “We need to be smart at the plate and get our pitches instead of just swinging for the fence.”
