Throughout the course of a prep softball season, most teams will collect some big innings.
Heritage Academy wants to be a little more greedy than that. The Lady Patriots want to hang those types of numbers more than once in every game.
In its season opener at Harper-Hutchins Field Tuesday night, Heritage Academy did just that, batting through the lineup on two different occasions in an 11-2 win over Grenada Kirk Academy.
“Last year, we would have one big inning and that would be it,” Heritage Academy senior catcher Caitlin McLain said. “We would score all of the runs in one inning and do nothing the rest of the game. We don’t want to be like that this year. If we have a big inning, we want to be able to do that again in the same game. We don’t need to quit when we get ahead.”
After three scoreless innings, Heritage Academy went on the offensive attack. The Lady Patriots sent 10 batters to the plate in a four-run fourth inning and later sent 12 batters to the plate in a seven-run sixth inning.
“I think we have a chance to be a pretty good offensive team this season,” Heritage Academy second-year coach Gary Harris said. “There was a lot of nervousness because it was our first game and (Kirk) had already played five. I think that showed early in the game. Once we scored some runs, everybody settled down and we played much better.”
The late offensive heroics made a winner of sophomore pitcher Kaitlin Oswalt in her debut with the Lady Patriots. A sophomore transfer from New Hope High School, Oswalt allowed eight hits and worked around a two-run sixth inning by the Rebelettes.
“I really didn’t know anything about this team because I didn’t see them play last year,” said Oswalt, who was presented the game ball by Harris after the game. “I was really nervous because this was my only my second varsity game to pitch (after one last season at New Hope). My teammates encouraged me and I calmed down and got into a rhythm.”
Harris has high hopes for a Heritage Academy squad, which surprised many by advancing to the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools state tournament a season ago.
“KO (Oswalt) didn’t have her best stuff out there,” Harris said. “You could tell she was really tired because she had played all weekend (with the Tupelo Express) in a (travel ball) world series in Gulf Shores. Basically, she went out there and gutted it out and showed us a little bit of what she is capable of doing. I know we are going to score some runs. So if we can add the pitching and the defense, we have a chance to have a successful season.”
Oswalt has quickly become impressed by her new set of teammates.
“I didn’t think (this team) was going to be that strong but they have really surprised me,” Oswalt said. “They practice hard every day and they really work at getting better. That is when I knew we had a chance to be successful. When I saw how hard they worked and how determined they are at getting better and having a good season.”
Kirk Academy starting pitcher Mallory Harrison was up to the task through three innings. Harrison retired the first nine Lady Patriots she faced.
In the fourth inning, an innocent bunt single by Shiloh Ellis opened the floodgates. Oswalt followed with a mammoth triple down the right field line. By the time, Katlyn Petty and Macy Walters added singles, the Lady Patriots led 4-0.
“The confidence went way up after we finally scored,” McLain said. “Their pitcher had our number the first time through the lineup. Usually when we score, it leads to several runs. So once we broke through I felt really good about this game. The thing I am most proud of when it was 4-2, we came back and had another big inning.”
After a massive home run by Kirk Academy’s Hayden Grantham – a player Harris once ironically coached in sixth grade – broke up the shutout, the Lady Patriots did escape the top half of the sixth inning clinging to a 4-2 lead.
Three straight singles by Petty, Walters and Tyler Rhett started the big home half of the sixth inning Brooklyn Waldrep drove in two runs with a single, Oswalt added an RBI-single and Petty capped a team-best three-hit night with an RBI-single.
In the postgame, Harris told his team it was a solid all-around victory and a good way to go into the Kirk Academy Invitational. He also added that now was the time for a streak.
“We didn’t win the first one last year, but we won the first one this year,” said Harris to the team. “Now, let’s go out and win five or six in a row.”
n Winston Academy 13, Hebron Christian 1: At Louisville, Rebeka Joy Falkner had the only hit and scored the only run for the Lady Eagles (1-2).
Freshman right-hander Brooke Griffin started and took the loss.
Hebron Christian coach Cass Tapley said his team was without couple of starters in its second game against Winston Academy in as many days. He said his team played better Tuesday than it did Monday in a 13-0 loss in which it committed at least seven errors. He said the Lady Eagles had only three errors Tuesday, all in the latter stages of the game.
“They hit it where we weren’t early and then started to hit it hard,” Tapley said of the Lady Patriots, who scored three runs in the second inning, three in the third, and seven in the fourth.
Hebron Christian will play at Central Academy on Tuesday in its first district game.
n Central Academy 19, Oak Hill Academy 2: At West Point, the Lady Vikings scored in every inning to run their record to 2-0.
A four-run second inning, a four-run fourth, and a seven-run fifth were the big innings for Central Academy, which had 10 hits and capitalized on six errors.
Oak Hill Academy had three hits and took advantage of three errors. It scored in the second and third innings.
Savanah Stapleton (triple), Blake Rigdon (double), Sarah Norris (double), and Courtney Gaylord (double) all had two hits. Kayla Brown and Allie Beth Rigdon added singles.
Gaylord scattered three hits in five innings. She walked two and struck out four.
Central Academy also capitalized on eight walks and two hit batters.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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