Lady Jackets find tough sledding vs. Mt. Vernon

Posted 3/31/22

Some days the ball just doesn’t bounce your way, or in softball parlance, sometimes the ball just always pops out of the glove. That was the case last Friday as multiple Lady Jacket fielding …

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Lady Jackets find tough sledding vs. Mt. Vernon

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Some days the ball just doesn’t bounce your way, or in softball parlance, sometimes the ball just always pops out of the glove. That was the case last Friday as multiple Lady Jacket fielding errors launched the visiting Mt. Vernon Lady Tigers to a 17-1 win.

Errors in softball can often beget more errors. When that cascading unfolds, it can mean disaster for the fielding team.

After a scoreless first inning, the Lady Tigers clean-up hitter one-hopped a drive to the fence in right-center and ended up with a triple. Three fielding errors – a fly ball which squirted out of the mitt, an errant throw upon fielding a bunt and a dropped pop-up behind the mound – opened the scoring gates for Mt. Vernon. 

Four base hits, three of them for extra bases, rounded out the inning, as the visitors took a 10-0 lead.

Mt. Vernon added four runs in the third when a bases-loaded liner to left ended up rolling to the fence. It went for an inside the park home run.

The Lady Tigers put three more runs on the scorecard in the fourth behind two extra base hits. 

The Lady Jackets generated at least one baserunner in each of the first three innings but could not sustain a rally. 

With the game all but concluded, the Lady Jackets had a team moment. They could have rolled over, but they didn’t.  

Gracie Finley led-off the bottom of the fourth with the best Mineola hit of the night – a hot line-drive to center. Alexis Miller followed with a clean base hit to left-center.  

With two on and two out, Allie Hooten beat out a long throw from deep shortstop to earn an infield base hit. The bases were loaded for Jocelyn Whitehead. She calmly stroked a single back up the middle to drive in Finley and prevent the shut-out.  Whitehead was forced at second on a ground ball to end the game. 

In a year that is not unfolding as the Lady Jackets had envisioned, it is valuable to look for moments to capture. Passages of play which can be referred to, in order to continue building the program. That single run last Friday was one of those occasions.  

After visiting Mt. Pleasant Chapel Hill Tuesday, the Lady Jackets host Winnsboro Friday. First pitch is expected at 4:30 p.m.