By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – It had already been an emotional day for several of the Spring Garden Lady Panther softball team members who also played volleyball and/or basketball for Ricky Austin.
Earlier on Monday, Austin announced he was leaving Spring Garden for the women’s basketball head coaching position at Jacksonville State.
“It’s just a big change for our school, but I know we’re all proud of him,” Spring Garden coach Ann Welsh said. “It didn’t seem to affect them too much (on the field), but I know it’s a change. Some of them were going to be returning players for him had he still been here.”
Add to that the Lady Panthers hadn’t played a game since last Tuesday because of spring break.
Spring Garden’s bats came out swinging against Cherokee County High School starting pitcher Sydni Frost. The Lady Panthers scored four runs in the top of the first inning.
But that lead was short-lived.
The Lady Warriors sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first against Spring Garden starter Kendall Birchfield and took a one-run lead. They added three more runs in the second, another in the third off Lady Panther reliever Addie Word, and one more in the sixth to take a 10-5 victory.
“We just found a way to be able to move runners,” Cherokee County coach Heather Hawk said. “Our girls have to be able to adapt to the game. We’ve gone from seeing excellent velocities and great spin and be able to execute hits and move runners to now we’re seeing a little bit lower velocity and some different spin on the ball and developing players on the other side of the defense. No matter what pitcher we are facing, we’ve got to be able to make adjustments in the box. We’ve got to grow as athletes.”
Hawk felt some of her young Lady Warriors grew on Monday, including Frost. She went the distance in the circle, giving up five runs on seven hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.
“She’s one of our younger athletes who’s developing like we want her to,” Hawk said. “She gives us everything she’s got every time she hits the circle. We need her. We have to have her to be able to survive.”
Frost also helped herself out at the plate by going 2-for-3 with a walk. Izzy Patterson was also 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk. Sofie Dawson went 2-for-4 with a double.
Emma Eberhart tripled. Kar’leigh Bowman added a hit. Brooklynn Bruce delivered a bunt single, and Anna Morris drew a pair of walks.
“It’s all about strategical stuff (at the plate),” Hawk said. “Our girls are beginning to adapt to some things, but we’ve still got to find our way.”
Olivia Messer and Hayden Parris were both 2-for-4 at the plate for Spring Garden. Ellie Miller doubled. Maya Jennings and Paisley Woodall both finished with a hit.
“The other coaches and I weren’t sure how we would respond (from being off six days),” Welsh said. “I think it was a good mental break for us. I think we came out refreshed and relaxed. I was glad to see us hitting like that early. That was big for us.”
Birchfield suffered the loss after working just two innings. Word came in for relief in the third and held the Lady Warriors to just two runs in the final four innings.
“It was just a change, and it seemed to slow them down a little bit,” Welsh said. “We had already talked about if they got several runs, we were going to switch pitchers out as the game went along and just do what we can to throw new things at them. I knew they were going to hit.”
Spring Garden hosts Cedar Bluff on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Cherokee County is at Alexandria, also at 4:30 p.m.
The two teams do battle with each other again on Thursday at Spring Garden at 4:30 p.m.
