Woodland coach Colman Roberts credited a more disciplined approach at the plate.
“We made some adjustments at the plate,” Roberts said of his team, which scored three runs in the first inning and 12 in the second. “We just [were] a little more patient than we usually are.”
Offensive contributors for the Lady ’Cats were Taylor Braselton, two walks, two runs, RBI; Kat Moreno, 1 for 2, run, RBI; Lacey Fritz, 2 for 3, two runs; Casey Bucy, 2 for 3, three runs; Sydney Flowers, 1 for 2, two runs, RBI; Bailey Roberts, 2 for 2, run, RBI; Jessie Michaels, 1 for 2, run, two RBIs; Cheyanne Burt, walk, hit by pitch (twice), two runs; and Darby Cagle, run.
Bucy, the winning pitcher, struck out three and gave up two walks and one hit in three innings.
Woodland had not won since Aug. 13 before Monday’s matchup. The Lady ’Cats had lost consecutive games to Calhoun, Sequoyah and Northwest Whitfield, the latter two games being Region 7-AAAA tilts.
“To get off that losing streak was a big thing,” Roberts admitted.
Woodland (5-3, 0-2) sets its sights on region win No. 1 today — as will its opponent — when it visits Rome (5-3, 0-1), which nearly rallied to beat Cass in Bartow County last Thursday before losing, 5-4.
“They played pretty good against Cass the other night,” Roberts said of the Lady Wolves, who beat Calhoun at the Model Lady Devil Fall Classic, 5-4, and also lost to the Lady ’Cats at the same tournament. “They’re a much-improved team. They definitely won’t lay down. … They got two pitchers that are pretty good. We just gotta get off the bus and take care of business.”
Woodland plays today at 5 p.m. and has another region battle Thursday against the Lady Colonels, a game that is slated for a 7:15 p.m. start. The Lady ’Cats conclude their week with games in the Allatoona Buccaneer Classic, including 6:45 and 8:30 p.m. games on Friday with Hillgrove and Ringgold, respectively.
Lady Colonels lose two in Buccaneer Bash
Cass lost a couple of softball games Monday in the Buccaneer Bash that was held at Allatoona High. The Lady Colonels fell, 7-3, to the host Lady Buccaneers before being shut out against South Paulding, 6-0.
“We weren’t there defensively, and we gotta do a better job at the plate,” Cass coach Greg Hight said. “We were aggressive the first game of the year and after that it’s left us.”
The Lady Colonels took an early lead against Allatoona after Allison Story’s base hit paved the way for Bethany Ballard’s two-run home run, which gave Cass a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
However, the Lady Bucs seized control of the game by scoring seven unanswered runs — two in the second, two in the third and three in the fifth.
Aleigha McDaniels’ RBI hit plated Cass’ final run in the seventh. McDaniels, Story, Ashlynn Russell and Halen Moore each had a hit for the Lady Colonels while Ballard led the way offensively with a 2-for-2, two-RBI night.
Courtney Bailey pitched three innings, and Story and Lyndsey Holifield also saw time inside the circle.
In Cass’ game with South Paulding, the Lady Colonels were held to four hits as the Lady Spartans kept them off the scoreboard.
Bailey, Ballard, Breanna Mahrt and Russell notched base knocks for Cass. Bailey also pitched for the Lady Colonels, relieving Holifield after three innings.
South Paulding put up five runs in the third and another one in the sixth.
After three straight losses — Cass lost 10-0 at Northwest Whitfield Saturday — Hight would like to see the Lady Colonels play up to their potential, regardless of their youth.
“We gotta cut down on the mistakes. Mistakes are what’s killing us right now,” he acknowledged. “I know we’re young. We gotta live with that. … We just need ’em to step up and play to their potential right now.”
Cass (2-3, 1-1 Region 7-AAAA) will get a chance to remedy its play of late Thursday when it welcomes cross-county rival Woodland (5-3, 0-2) to its stadium for a 7:15 p.m. contest, which doubles as a region 7-AAAA game in addition to its in-county appeal.