Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
The Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowgirls varsity softball team faced a tough week as the season entered its final month of competition before the district tournament. The Cowgirls dropped two straight district games to district foes Ft. White and Union County.
On Monday, April 5, the Cowgirls went on the road to Ft. White to take on the Indians of Ft. White High School. It was a close game with a great deal of action throughout the game that ended with the Indians coming from behind in the final inning to defeat the Cowgirls, 11-10. After a scoreless opening inning, the Indians went out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. The Cowgirls responded by scoring five runs of their own in the top of the third. The Indians pulled back ahead in the bottom of the third with two runs of their own. The fourth inning was scoreless. Then, in the top of the fifth inning, Carter Gore belted a two-run homer over the fence to tie the game at seven runs apiece. The Cowgirls outscored the Indians 3-1 in the sixth inning to extend their lead going into the final inning. The Cowgirls were trying to hold onto their 10-8 lead as the two teams entered the bottom half of the seventh inning, The Indians brought the game to a close when they scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Brianna Thompson went two-for-four at the plate, with one RBI. Gore had a big night at the plate, going two-for-four with four RBIs and a home run. Morgan Sevor was good for one hit and one RBI in her four plate appearances.
Halie Wetherington, Shea Thompson and Josie Driggers all spent time in the pitcher's circle, giving up seven hits, eight earned runs, 11 walks and striking out three batters.
Then, on Tuesday, April 6, the Cowgirls hosted the district-leading Lady Tigers of Union County High School. The Lady Tigers showed why they are one of the top teams in the state as they shut-out the Cowgirls 13-0 in five innings. The Cowgirls struggled at the plate, only managing one hit, a single by Brianna Thompson.
It was another evening of pitching by committee for the Cowgirls, with four pitchers seeing action. Josie Driggers, Wetherington, Mackenzi Bochnia and Shea Thompson each took their turn pitching for the Cowgirls. The four pitchers combined to yield 10 hits, nine earned runs, 11 walks and
striking out three.
The week didn't get any easier for the Cowgirls when they traveled to Live Oak on Thursday, April 8, for a game against the Lady Bulldogs of Suwannee High School. The Cowgirls managed to accumulate six hits, but left seven base-runners stranded as they fell to the Lady Bulldogs, 13-3.
The Lady Bulldogs took a 3-1 lead after the second inning before the Cowgirls were able to tie the score in the top of the third inning. In the fourth inning, the Lady Bulldogs scored three unanswered runs, followed by seven unanswered runs in the sixth inning to make it a shortened game.
Sevor had one hit in her three trips to the plate with two RBIs. Wetherington, Driggers, Bochnia and Tsadi Irvine had hits for the Cowgirls.
Shea Thompson, Driggers and Wetherington took turns in the pitcher's circle, giving up 14 hits and 11 earned runs. The pitching trio also struck out three and walked seven.
The Cowgirls will finish their regular season on the road with games against Godby High, in Tallahassee, on Thursday, April 15, and Columbia County, in Lake City, on Tuesday, April 20. The district tournament gets under way at Union County High School, in Lake Butler, Fla., on Tuesday, April 27.