Warriorettes battle Cookeville

If you’re looking for a peaceful night out at the ballpark, high school softball might not be for you.   The “chatter” coming from both dugouts is loud and seems as rehearsed as any play that is made on the field.  Teams will beat sticks against coolers or metal pipes to make as much noise as possible.  There is “chatter” for everything.  If a batter gets a hit, there is a special cadence and cheer to go along with it. A ball in the dirt requires the entire dugout to break out in a rehearsed, melodic chant.  The chatter seems to be used to remind players of the situations in the game but is also used as a distraction to the pitcher or other defensive players.  Most of the time, however, it’s just girls having fun. As one would imagine, the “chatter” at the rivalry game between the Cookeville Lady Cavaliers and the Warriorettes was loud both inside the dugout and in the stands.  The game was a closely contested battle.

Hannah Crawford would take to the pitcher’s circle for the Warriorettes.  She pitched a great game and was able to strike out several batters while getting others to pop out or ground out.  The Lady Cavaliers got on the board in the top of the second inning.  They used a double, a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a single to score two runs. Crawford would bear down and hold the visitor scoreless for the next three innings.  The Warriorettes got on the board in the fifth with a RBI single by Ryleigh Burchett.  The Lady Cavs would score in the top of the sixth inning, but the Warriorettes scored in the bottom of the inning making the score 3-2 in favor of the visitors headed into the 7th and final inning. Crawford pitched strong in the final frame and didn’t allow any hits or runs.  The Cookeville pitcher seemed to pick up the intensity in the bottom of the seventh.  The Warriorettes took their cuts but were retired in order to give Cookeville the win.

The fans from both schools were treated to a great game.  The Warriorettes would be back in action on Wednesday night.  A report from Wednesday’s game will be available in next week’s paper.