Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
On Tuesday, Feb. 21, a very young Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowgirls varsity softball team welcomed home fans back to a Cowgirl field with a new home dugout and expanded seating to include reserved seating. The bleachers and dugouts also have fresh paint. A special “thank you” goes out to Busy Bee (Johnson and Johnson), Brian Annett, J + J Strong, Home Depot, Studstill Lumber, CM Brandies, Inc., Greg Renfroe, Mikey Bass, Scott Bass, Jerry Bass and the Madison County School District. After putting up two pre-season wins, the Cowgirls were hosting a tough team from Ft. White High School. It turned into a tough evening for the Cowgirls as the Indians defeated the home team, 14-2.
After a scoreless first inning, the Indians put up three runs in the top of the second inning. The Cowgirls put together a short rally in the bottom half of the fifth inning with two runs to tighten the score to 3-2. However, in the top of the sixth inning, the Indians responded with five more runs of their own. The Indians added six more runs in the top of the seventh inning, placing a very tough hill in front of the Cowgirls.
Cowgirl freshman Logan Bass went one-for-two in the batter's box, with one run batted in (RBI) for the Cowgirls. Josie Driggers had one hit in four at-bats, driving in one RBI. Tsadi Irvine and Bethni Stalnaker also had hits for the Cowgirls.
Driggers, Shea Thompson and Alden Bass all shared time in the pitcher's circle for the Cowgirls, yielding eight hits, 10 earned runs, eight walks and striking out eight batters.
On Thursday, Feb. 23, the Cowgirls hosted Lafayette High School, from Mayo, Fla. It was the season opener for the junior varsity (JV) squad, which took the field first. It was a tough outing for the JV Cowgirls as they were defeated by the Lady Hornets, 7-2. After the junior varsity game concluded, the varsity teams took the diamond. Freshman Cowgirl Alden Bass turned in one of the best performances in the pitching circle the Cowgirls have seen in quite some time, tallying 13 strike-outs on her way to leading the Cowgirls to a 3-2 win over the Lady Hornets.
The Lady Hornets took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Then, in the bottom of the third inning, Driggers belted a solo homer over the center field fence to tie the game. The Cowgirls added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend their lead to 3-1. The Lady Hornets were able to close the gap with one run in the top of the fifth inning. From there, the Cowgirls were able to hold the Lady Hornets away from home plate to chalk up their first win of the regular season.
Driggers went one-for-two at the plate with one RBI. Amari Alexander had an RBI on a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt. Stalnaker and Jaidyn Wesley also had hits for the Cowgirls.
Alden Bass went the distance in the pitcher's circle for the Cowgirls, giving up three hits, one earned run, four walks and striking out 13 of the 29 batters faced.
The Cowgirls are set to return to Cowgirl Field on Thursday, March 2, when they host the Lady Eagles of North Florida Christian School, from Tallahassee. The first pitch is set for 5 p.m.