Last year the Lady Cavaliers dropped just four games and in each case the Carroll County offense could not generate enough offense to support starting pitcher Emma Leath.
Then eight players graduated from High School and a new group of inexperienced players slid into their place. Maybe the secret ingredient is they are too young to know better as they made Bassett their latest victim by a Mercy Rule score of 12-0.
” We talked with the team before the game and told them we needed to apply pressure early on and then keep them on their heels, ” said Head Coach Rick Nester. ” We played great defense behind Emma and we hit the ball hard from the top of the lineup all the way through.”
The leadoff hitter for the Lady Bengals sent a ground ball to the hole and Addie Greene stretched for the ball and made the play but not before the home team had an infield single. That was the first and last hit Bassett would have on the night. Center fielder Holly Miller tracked down a line drive in the gap on the only other hard hit ball, backing the 10 strike out, zero walk effort from Leath (5-0).
Bassett stayed in the game early on, trailing CCHS just 6-0 heading into the top of the fifth inning. The non-stop hitting display eventually broke the game open as the Lady Cavaliers plated six runs to cross the Mercy Rule barrier. All that was left was to send Leath back out to record three more outs, dodging rain drops along the way.
Nester described the aggressive approach at the plate coming from everyone and it showed up as Emma Leath and Emma Harman each came around to score three runs apiece.
Greene and Miller both scored a pair of runs and the RBI’s were well spread out as well. The offense is clicking at an alarming rate, the defense is making plays and Leath is taking care of business as she tends to do.
The Lady 👩 Cavaliers appear to be playing fearless team Softball. This group is well ahead of schedule and they are accomplishing things that few teams with more experience can do right now.
Carroll County will return home to The Hill next Tuesday night when they host Pulaski County in a rematch of a hard fought one run victory in Dublin.
The back end of the home and home will be part of a double header, with the Varsity game getting underway roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Junior Varsity contest.
We will get a box score attached soon and the Photo 📷 credit belongs to Kelly Hawks.
For those of you heading to Tennessee for Volleyball 🏐 , Godspeed on your journey 🙏
A.S.P.N on The Hill 