The Swainsboro Lady Tiger softball team picked up a huge region win over the Jefferson County Lady Warriors last Thursday. Hannah Howard led off the game with a triple to get things rolling for the visiting Tigers. Swainsboro would go on to score three runs in the top of the first inning and score two more runs in the second inning to jump out to an early 5-0 lead and cruise to an 11-2 victory.
Eight different Lady Tigers recorded a hit in the game with Hannah Howard, Gracie Beneteau, Jocie Hendrix, Savannah Hooks, Kayla Crabb, and Aa’caylah Murphy all picking up multiple hits on the evening. Also, Callie Powell had a great night in the pitching circle. The senior Tiger pitched seven innings and allowed just two runs on three hits while recording four strikeouts. The Tigers picked up the victory by playing well in all three phases of the game (hitting, fielding, and pitching), something that they have struggled to do early in the season.
Everyone knew that the early season schedule would be tough for the Tigers. Games against teams like Atlanta-area class 7-A softball powerhouse programs Lambert High School and Mountain View High School would be a real challenge for the Tigers, but the coaches wanted to play teams like that to test their team before region play started. Although the schedule has been somewhat difficult, the Tigers players and coaches all agree that they have simply not played up to their standards. At the plate the Tigers have struggled to pick up clutch hits when needed and simply have not scored enough runs. On defense, the Tigers have made numerous dynamic plays but have been inconsistent at times and the pitching has also been very inconsistent early in the season.
The Lady Tigers, however, expect their offensive explosion and great pitching performance at Jefferson County to get their season back on track and propel them into the 2023 playoff hunt.
