Lady Blackhawks play strong defensive ball

The Adrian Lady Blackhawks softball team had a busy week last week. They played on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and then a tournament on Saturday.

In the first game on Tuesday, May 4, the Lady Blackhawks fell to Sherwood 9 to 7. Coach Hubbard said, “The girls played well, but not well enough to beat a good Sherwood team. Any time you have nine errors it is hard to win. We left 14 people in scoring position but didn’t score them. We ran the bases well and did a good job of getting in position to score. Our team played hard and never gave up.”

Thursday, May 6 the Lady Blackhawks defeated Jasper 5 to 2 behind the pitching of Kristy Ray. She went 7 innings, striking out 7 and walking 3. “The girls did a nice job of coming back and winning after being down 1 to 2 in the 5th inning” stated Coach Hubbard. “Our defense kept us in the game. We turned 2 double plays in the game. I am proud of the way the girls conducted themselves on the field. They showed respect and sportsmanship that younger players can look up to.”

Friday, May 7 the Lady Blackhawks hosted Osceola and defeated the Lady Indians 15 to 2. Lesley Cox was the winning pitcher. She pitched 5 innings, striking out 5. “The girls hit the ball well tonight” commented Coach Hubbard. “This was a good win to get us ready for the Truman Lakes Tournament on Saturday. It was a good team win.”

In the first round of the Truman Lakes Tournament the Lady Blackhawks played Osceola. The girls had just defeated the Lady Indians on Friday night and did it once again as they shut out Osceola 10 to 0. Megan Lewis recorded the win, pitching 5 innings. She struck out 8 and walked 1. Coach Hubbard said, “This was a good game to start the day. Our defense stepped up and helped us out because we only had 3 hits. Another good team win.”

In second round action Adrian defeated Sherwood 4 to 3. The win put the Lady Blackhawks into the championship game. Kristy Ray went the distance, striking out 4 and walking 1. “This was the game of the year” stated Coach Hubbard. “It was a very exciting and fun game. The girls did a great job to beat a very good Sherwood team. I was so proud of the way they played and stayed focus on what needed to be done to win. It was a great team victory.”

Adrian went up against Crest Ridge for the championship and were defeated 5 to 0. The Lady Blackhawks were shut out 5 to 0. Lesley Cox was the losing pitcher. She went 6 innings, striking out 1 and walking 1. Kristy Ray pitched 1 inning, walking 1. Coach Hubbard stated, “We came off an emotional high from game 2 to almost a let down for the championship game. I think we played the championship for us in Game 2. We played hard but lost to a good Crest Ridge team. The girls overall got 2nd place and did a great job representing our school. I was very proud of them.”

Lady Blackhawks named to the Truman Lakes All-Tournament team were: Lesley Cox, freshman, pitcher, 3rd, short stop; Kristy Ray, sophomore, pitcher, 3rd, 2nd; Nichole Cogbill, sophomore, center field, short stop.