Ooltewah softball pitcher Monica Thompson overcame a shaky start and threw a one-hitter in a 10-1 District 5-3A victory over Cleveland on Tuesday. Thompson threw 32 first-inning pitches, but needed only 64 over the next six innings while improving her record to 3-1 on the season.
photo by Dennis Norwood
Ooltewah’s starting pitcher Monica Thompson was a little jittery in the circle Tuesday.
For an inning.
Once Thompson settled down, she dominated visiting Cleveland, finished with a one-hit, seven-strikeout effort and the Lady Owls backed her with a 10-hit attack in a 10-1 District 5-3A softball victory over the Lady Blue Raiders.
Thompson (3-1) gave up a hit and three walks, one of which resulted in Cleveland’s only run, needed 32 pitches and two strikeouts to get out of the shaky first inning.
Thompson probably couldn’t help but notice coach Jon Massey had sophomore Kayla Boseman, the staff ace, and junior Mackenzie Patterson warming up in the bullpen.
“This was a district game,” Massey said. “We were talking about going out to get her. We wanted to give her time to right the ship, but when it comes down to it we’ll do what we have to do. We can’t fall behind early because we’re still not a team that’s hitting the way I think we should be.”
Maybe seeing Boseman, the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year in 2015, and Patterson getting preparing for a possible early relief appearance furnished Thompson extra adrenaline.
Maybe a brief visit to the circle by pitching coach Stacey Wong helped calm Thompson.
“When coach Wong went out there, she told Monica to settle down, rely on her fastball and throw strikes,” Massey said. “Coach Wong also said, ‘If they hit it (fastball), they hit it, but let’s see if they can hit it.’ ”
With the bases loaded and one out, Thompson bowed her back and struck out Lydia Martin and Emily Colbaugh to end the inning.
“I was a little tense and I don’t know why,” Thompson said. “I came into the dugout, sat down and drank some water. When I went back out for the second inning I was feeling much better.”
The Lady Owls (12-3, struck for two runs in the bottom of the first when Shelby Sutton tripled to right and came home on a wild pitch and Boseman, who was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Tyler Sullivan’s RBI single to left.
Over the last six innings Thompson was a picture of poise and in complete control of her surroundings.
Of her six walks, only three came after the first frame.
Working with five- and nine-run leads the rest of the way, Thompson retired 16 of the final 20 she faced. Only three Cleveland runners got to second base. The defense behind her turned two double plays, each involving an outfielder catching a fly ball and firing to the infield to complete the plays.
In one stretch, Thompson retired eight in a row.
“It’s all about location with Monica,” Massey said. “She was throwing strikes after the first inning and throwing strikes is key for her.”
Added Thompson, “I did bad in the first inning and I was just thinking I had to pick it up because I’m a senior and one of the team leaders. I gained a lot of confidence getting out of that inning.”
And when the Lady Owls (13-3, 2-0) started whacking the ball all over Jim Lovell Field, Thompson’s pitching became more than the Lady Raiders could handle.
“(Thompson) was phenomenal on the mound,” Cleveland coach Kari Harris said. “Our mentality was to be aggressive at the plate and on the bases. We executed the game plan early, but we got passive at the plate and could never make good contact after that because she didn’t give us much.”
In the third, Sutton singled to right-center and later scored on a wild pitch. Aubbie Collake walked and went to third on Mabry Carpenter’s double. Sullivan’s infield groundout scored Collake and Carpenter came home on Marissa Forrester’s single to shallow right field.
With one out in the fourth, Collake and Carpenter each singled. Sullivan followed with a run-scoring double. Forrester’s single up the middle pushed Carpenter across with the third run and Bailey Kennedy, who walked, came home when Tiera Lemon greeted relief pitcher Allison Botts with a single – the fourth in the inning – to center.
Botts then retired seven in a row without allowing a ball to leave in the infield.
With the loss Cleveland dropped to 1-3 overall and 0-3 in district play.
Sullivan, the No. 6 hitter in Ooltewah’s lineup, went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and one run scored. Addy Keylon, No. 7 in the order, and Kennedy, No. 8, each drew walks and eventually scored. Forrester, operating in the No. 9 slot, was 2 for 3 and drove in three runs.
“You have to go up to the plate with some confidence,” said Sullivan, who added that her season high is six RBIs against Sequatchie County. “And I had that today.”
Batting last doesn’t bother Forrester at all.
“I went to the plate with confidence because I believe I can do it (get hits),” she said.
Lower batting order production is a real bonus for any team, Massey said.
“Marissa and Tyler are doing a great job,” he said. “All the girls from six through nine have done good jobs. When those hitters can drive in runs and score runs you should be pretty successful.”
That was certainly the case Tuesday.
The top five hitters had six hits and just two RBIs, but combined to score seven runs.
That is a balanced offense from top to bottom.
It could come in hand for the Lady Owls over the next few days.
They host Olentangy (Ohio) and Rhea County on Wednesday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
On Friday and Saturday, Ooltewah will host the annual 22-team Ooltewah Invitational at The Summitt.
Boxscore
Cleveland 100 000 0 – 1 1 0
Ooltewah 204 400 x – 10 10 0
Hentz, Botts (4) and Wilson; Thompson and Forrester.
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow on Twitter @larryfleming44)
Shelby Sutton of Ooltewah rounds second and heads for third with a triple in the first inning against Cleveland on Tuesday. Sutton later scored on a wild pitch -- she scored in the third the same way after lacing a single to right -- and helped the Lady Owls crush the Lady Blue Raiders, 10-1.
photo by Dennis Norwood