By Craig Brown
Dillon Christian’s Makalai Sweat snags a line shot at third base. (Photo by Craig Brown.)
The Warriors, 0-2 on the season, closed out every inning with players in scoring position. The Warriors left 10 runners on base in six innings and failed to bring in a single run.
The Warriors’ limited playing time this season – two games as compared to opponents having played six games – and also fielding a very young and inexperienced team has a lot to do with the losses and the Warriors are going to have to get over nervous jitters and start hitting the ball and stop careless errors in the field. The Warriors were the equal to the Bobcats in every area but experience.
The Bobcats also have the luxury of four pitchers ready for the mound. The Warriors at this point only have Jamie Carpenter ready for pitching duties. The young Warrior pitcher has given up some hits in the opening two games but she has only walked four batters. The Warriors will play very seasoned teams this year and need to ready themselves quickly to become competitive.
Dillon Christian’s Jamie Carpenter pitches to Carolina Academy. (Photo by Craig Brown.)
At bat for the Warriors, Lauren Lee was 2-for-3. Lee is one of those rare players that goes all out no matter the score. She has the talent to play for any team in the state. Lee can play any position on the field and would excel at all positions, but plays catcher because no other player had much experience here. Lee threw out a runner trying to steal second and teamed with Carpenter to get a runner coming home against the Bobcats.
Ansley Hamer was 1-for-3 with a triple. The only thing Hamer needs to become a top rated player is a bit more confidence. Kathryn Brown, Makalai Sweat, Greta Seay, and Madison King got to base on walks. King is a shy young ball player but is not afraid to try what the coaches tell her to do.
The out fielding duties are rotated between Greta Seay, Ansley Hamer, Katie Tyner, Madison King, and Emily Martin. All five players are very equal in talent and represent the best overall outfield for the Warriors in three years.
Kathryn Brown was moved to first base this year and is improving with each game. Sarah Fitzgibbon anchors the defense at short stop and is also a player that can compete on any team in the area. Lauren Lee is in her third year as a catcher and, like Fitzgibbon, is very talented. Jamie Carpenter is a very accurate pitcher and as her strength improves the batters will fall by the way-side. Alex Lane has the task of holding down third base. Next to short this is the most demanding place in the infield. Makalai Sweat rounds out the field at second. Sweat is leading the infield with fly ball catches at this point in the season.
Head Coach Norm Norton has over 25 years of experience but the young Warrior program is a challenge. All it takes for Norm to produce a winning program is to have players wanting to learn and willing to give it their best.
Assistant Coach Billy Massengale adds years of experience but due to his work schedule he has been limited in sharing his knowledge early on but he hopes to be back in the dugout soon.
I am in my third year and I am still learning that in girls’ softball every player must be approached differently. Many parents also add invaluable assistance to the program by providing supplies, transporting players to the games, getting the field ready, keeping the books, and running the scoreboard.
The Warriors are playing the Lady Wild Gators in a non-region game in Lake View at 4:00 p.m. today.
Photos by Craig Brown. Click images below to view at full size!
