White County Middle School softball kept things interesting last week with a couple of close games mixed with a couple of high-scoring games. Regardless of the margin, the Warriorettes found themselves on the better side of the scoreboard every day, winning four games and improving to 7-2 in district play.
The Warriorettes started the week with a close win, 6-5, over Monterey, on Monday night. After jumping out to a 5-0 lead, White County surrendered four runs in the third inning. The fourth inning saw Abbi Hutson lead off with a hard-hit ball that the shortstop booted. AK Wallace drove Hutson home for an insurance run that the Warriorettes ended up needing.
“We didn’t hit the ball like I think we are capable of, but learning to win close games was a great start to the week,” Warriorette coach Gregg Segraves said.
Kami Clark, who struck out four batters but also hit two, was the winning pitcher while Alli Beth Stebing, who pitched the fifth inning, got the save. Wallace went 2 for 3 at the plate with 2 RBI’s and 2 stolen bases. Anna McCulley was 2 for 2 with a single and a double while Addie Norvell and Alli Beth Stebing each had one hit.
On Tuesday, the Warriorettes’ bats were much busier, and the 17-8 win over Avery Trace was a testament to that.
“The girls came out and absolutely hit the softball. We literally could have scored as many runs as we wanted,” Segraves said. “Gigi Tankersley hit her second home run of the season. The girls are starting to play with confidence.”
Tankersly was 2 for 2 with a triple, a home run, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBIs. Treeah Powell went 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs. Kami Clark was 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs, while AK Wallace had a single, a triple, 2 runs scored, and 3 RBIs of her own. Annie Burrier hit a single and scored a run while Addi Norvell had a single and two runs scored.
Stebing got the win, on Tuesday, with a season high eight strikeouts while not giving up any walks. Clark pitched in relief and recorded two strike outs.
The Warriorettes had a tough game, on Wednesday, but were able to pull out the win, 6-5, over the Upperman Lady Bees.
“We knew this was an absolutely critical game for the girls. Upperman was undefeated and in first place in the district,” Segraves said. “If we wanted to stay in striking distance, we really need to play well and get a win.”
The game didn’t start out looking like White County was going to be competitive as Upperman jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. However, the Warriorettes came right back in the bottom of the first frame with the first six batters in their lineup getting a hit and answering the Lady Bees with three runs of their own.
In the second inning, starting pitcher Annie Burrier took a line drive to the head creating a scary moment.
“She was OK and later returned to the line-up,” Segraves said. “Alli Beth Stebing came in the game and threw the best game she has thrown all year, shutting down the Lady Bees.”
The Warriorettes added a run in the third. Annie Burrier started the inning with a single followed by Anna McCulley’s hit. Gigi Tankersley then got her second hit and second RBI putting the team within one run, down 5-4 going to the fifth inning where the defense once again played well getting a double play to get out of the inning.
Wallace, Burrier, and McCulley all reached base with three consecutive walks by the Lady Bee’s pitcher in their half of the fifth inning. Gigi Tankersley hit a line drive for the game winning hit and her third hit of the day along with her third and fourth RBI.
“This was a great win for the girls. They are now playing together as a team and playing with a lot of confidence,” Segraves said.
Stebing was credited with the win, striking out two and walking two but giving up no runs. At the plate, Tankersley went 3 for 3 with 4 RBIs – including the game winner. Burrier, McCulley, and Norvell each had two hits while Clark had one.
Thursday saw a lot of offense from the Warriorettes again as the top of the line-up continued to come out and hit the ball extremely well, scoring four runs in the first inning. The Warriorettes took a 12-6 win over Algood with Annie Burrier pitching a complete game and striking out 6 batters.
Norvell led the way at the plate going 4 for 4 and collecting 2 RBIs. Burrier had 3 hits and 2 RBIs, While Wallace had two base hits, 3 runs scored, and two RBIs. Clark, McCulley, Stebing, and Hutson each had a hit, with Hutson adding a stolen base. Tankserley recorded an RBI on a sacrifice fly.
“Right now, we’re playing extremely well and with a lot of confidence. We still have a lot to improve on, but if we continually improve, we’ve got a chance to be a pretty good team by the end of the year,” Segraves said. “This coaching staff couldn’t be more proud of these girls and the effort they give on a daily basis.”
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