There are some days it is just good to be a coach, while less than 100 feet away, on the same diamond, it can be just the opposite. Inside one dugout things are going right and in the other, well, things are going not so right. It was just such a game that saw Chattanooga Christian School post a win over the Lady Rams of Tyner Academy Thursday evening by a score of 9-2 within the friendly confines of CCS home field.
As Lady Charger coach Emily Pensinger would say afterwards, "We produced offensively all the way through the line-up and got our bunts down when we needed to." By the same token, Tyner coach Kyone Arnwine said, "We should have made the routine plays; we were giving extra runs by not getting the easy outs. We just didn't make the plays."
Both teams are in a rebuilding year, with CCS having lost seven seniors at the end of last year. Coach Pensinger said, "We are coming back with only five girls returning from last year. Everyone else is new. They are starting to get a feel for things, and I'm very pleased with their progress. Our freshmen are coming in and contributing, making plays in the infield and the outfield."
Coach Arnwine commented, "We only have three seniors coming back this year. Our youth showed itself today. We just didn't make the plays we should have. Our fielders seem to be scared a bit and they're not challenging the hitters like they should. We only had one ball hit over our heads today, but we just didn't get the routine outs. Our base running could use some work as well."
Some of that youthfulness showed itself early Thursday evening. In the bottom of the first after retiring the first two runners on a groundout to third and a fly-out to centerfield, Tyner hurler Christina Nelson gave up a pair of singles to Shelby Morgan and pitcher Sara Hundley. Chelsea Sims reached on an error by the Lady Ram shortstop which scored the runners ahead of her.
Taylor Helton and Alex Yandell punched back to back singles scoring Sims, and both scored when Aften Whitmore reached on an error by the Tyner third baseman. Whitmore was caught stealing as she overran the bag at second creating the final out.
When the dust had cleared, CCS had scored five runs on three hits and would not be seriously challenged the remainder of the game.
The Lady Chargers, now 2-0, pretty much put it on cruise control, scoring another run in the third and two more in the fifth on a Sims double. CCS picked up another run in the sixth when Shelby Brendle singled and then scored on a Haley Stewart sacrifice.
Tyner picked up a couple of runs in the top of the seventh before ending the game on a ground-out to Lady Charger first baseman Sims. Tyner is now 1-1 with the loss.
Shelby Morgan went 3-for-3 with a double and two singles for CCS, followed by Helton and Yandell each with a pair of singles. Morgan also crossed home plate three times for the Lady Chargers.
On the mound, Hundley threw for eight strikeouts and gave up only three hits for CCS.
Nelson (LP) and Seymore; Hundley (WP) and Hitchcock.
(Email Dennis Norwood at sportswriter56@comcast.net)
Lady Charger Shelby Morgan watches the pitch.