CSAS' Jade Hester is safe at the plate as the ball gets away from Lookout Valley catcher Katelyn Mitchell. Hester scored three runs, had three hits and four runs batted in to help lead the Lady Patriots to a 10-7 pool play win over the Lady Yellow Jackets Friday evening in Red Bank Invitational.
photo by Dennis Norwood
Most of the regular-season district softball games are in the book and teams are trying to sharpen their skills as they prepare for the post-season in hopes of landing in Murfreesboro for the season-ending TSSAA state tournament the week before Memorial Day.
Such is the case for the Red Bank Lionettes, who are hosting the 2016 Red Bank Invitational this weekend at the Red Bank and White Oak fields.
Red Bank was indeed impressive as the Lionettes won their pool with wins over Lookout Valley and CSAS on Friday. The Lionettes prevailed by an 11-1 victory in the opener against the Lady Yellow Jackets while CSAS came from ahead to defeat Lookout Valley by a 10-7 final.
Red Bank then handed CSAS a 14-1 loss in the final game of the day at Red Bank.
The other pool has teams from Central, Sale Creek, Meigs County and East Ridge.
The Lady Patriots got good production from the top of their lineup in the win over Lookout Valley.
Raven Shoulders and Jade Hester both had three hits apiece as CSAS collected 13 hits for the game. Shoulders also scored four times while Hester crossed the plate three times and set the pace for the Lady Patriots with four runs batted in.
CSAS struck early with two runs in the first and four more in the second before Lookout Valley retaliated with a five spot in the third. The Lady Yellow Jackets then took the lead at 7-6 with two more runs in the fourth before the Lady Patriots regained the lead with two in the bottom of the fourth and they had added two more in the fifth before the game was called by time limit.
“We pulled it out, didn’t we?” said CSAS coach Michelle Meyners following the see-saw affair.
“We’re hitting the ball better than we have been and that saved us, but we have to eliminate all of those errors. I’m pleased in places with the way we played and we’ll be okay if we’ll just keeping hitting like we did just now.
“I’m really proud of these girls because we didn’t give up,” she added.
Shoulders came within a home run of hitting for the cycle as she scored runs in every inning but the third. Ironically, that was the only inning where her team didn’t score either.
But Hester was the hero at the plate for the Lady Patriots as she drove in Shoulders with the tying run in the fourth before scoring the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice by catcher Brianna Parker.
Then in the bottom of the fifth, Hester’s double drove in Lexie Meyners and Shoulders with two insurance runs after Meyners had led off the inning with a single and Shoulders followed with a double.
Lookout Valley coach David Dinger has been wringing his hands and trying every trick in the book to change the luck for his Lady Yellow Jackets.
He’s still looking for the answer.
“We’re struggling as a team and we didn’t do much to help ourselves. We hit it better and that’s a positive as we’ve really struggled at the plate, but I just don’t know what to say. I’m sure all of my girls are just as frustrated as I am, but we just need to beat somebody.
“Getting some of these young ladies healthy again will surely help,” he said after the loss to CSAS.
While Shoulders and Hester had three hits for the Lady Patriots, Joya Greer, Dacia Edwards and Meyners all had two apiece while Parker had the other one, a single in the second.
Beth Crownover was the only Lookout Valley player with two hits. She also scored twice and drove in one.
Katelyn Mitchell had a big two-run double in that five-run third while Jordan Cabrera also had a two-out, two-run single.
Taylor Hoge and Faith Payne also had run-scoring singles for Lookout Valley.
Meyners, who is just an eighth grader, was the winning pitcher as she finished with six strikeouts and three walks.
Katie Dinger was the losing pitcher after allowing all 10 runs on 13 hits. She also had one strikeout.
While Red Bank is the winner of its pool, there are still two games remaining in the other pool and they will be played first thing Saturday morning at Red Bank. Central faces East Ridge in the first game at 10 a.m. while Sale Creek will battle Meigs County at 11:45.
Other scores from Friday pool play included: Central 7, Sale Creek 6; Meigs Co. 6, East Ridge 1; Meigs Co. 5, Central 0; Sale Creek 10, East Ridge 1.
Once pool play is complete, it will turn into bracket play with the championship game set for 7 p.m.
LOOKOUT VALLEY 005 20 – 7 8 3
ARTS & SCIENCES 240 22 – 10 13 3
Dinger and Mitchell; Meyners and Parker.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)
CSAS' Raven Shoulders beats out the throw for an infield hit as Lookout Valley's Brianna Evers awaits the throw. Shoulders had three hits and four runs for the Lady Patriots.
photo by