WHAT A WAY TO START THE SEASON!!!?
Every year is different in sports and no two games are alike, but about three weeks ago on March 23, the 17th District Softball season officially began and both John Hardin and North Hardin were eager to get things going.
The 18-3 Lady Trojan win in just three innings was far from a thing of beauty and with 13-runs scored in the first inning between the two teams, more walks from both sides than a pitching coach would ever like to see in a season let alone a game and only a couple of balls leaving the infield you might say that the early stages of the game might have put some of the spectators to sleep.
After plating an early run, the Lady Bulldogs let sophomore starter Hayley Wolfskill go to work on the new look North Hardin batting lineup. After a walk, Wolfskill got a strikeout and walked the next four batters, before being replaced by the starting catcher Makaylyn Clark, who faced eleven batters and got just one out. John Hardin coach Deron Bell then went back to Wolfskill with the score 6-1 and gave up four straight hits until getting her second strikeout to end the inning.
It was quite a pitching battle between two teams putting new starters in the No.1 spot in the rotation. North Hardin went with junior Maggie Terrell, who had only one start last season (against Taylor County in early April before she left for the season with an injury) and after allowing a run in the top of the first sat in the dugout for nearly an hour before North Hardin was finally retired in their bottom of the inning.
In fact, her biggest concern was whether her arm had gotten cold during the loner than normal layoff. Terrell allowed no hits during her three innings of work and it was quite a game with both pitchers working in new catchers as well. While Wolfskill was getting her first varsity experience and Clark took over for last year’s starter Kelsey Korfhage who chose not to come back, Terrell was doing likewise after waiting for Brooke Mahanna and Taylor Walters to graduate was now thrust into the starters role along with last season’s big play outfielder Lakyn Miller was getting her first shot behind the plate.
Miller is the third different girl catching for North Hardin in as many seasons and although both backstops had their problems early, both survived the experience. In all, Lady Trojans coach Brady Southwood had to replace six of nine defensive positions. Hopefully both he and coach Bell will be able to survive the new season which is now underway.
