Softball season is now back in full swing. Last week Columbia High School hosted a tournament, in which several local teams got to showcase their skills and put everyone on notice as to what should be expected of them in 2023.
The hosting Lady Wildcats (3-4) entered the tournament off the heels of two disappointing losses, falling Feb. 20 to West Jones 17-0 then again Feb. 21 to West Marion 12-2. Head coach Jamie Powell said tough nights like those are just part of the process for a rebuilding program that is still learning and growing in confidence each time they take the field.
"I told my girls that tough nights like those are just part of the game. West Jones and West Marion have really talented teams with a lot more experience than our team has so far, and that's going to show from time to time," Powell said. "But what I was really proud of is that it felt like our girls competed from start to finish. We still make plenty of inexperienced mistakes, which allows teams to score a few runs that they shouldn't, but you can tell their confidence is growing each time they step on the field, so I'm excited to see them keep competing and keeping growing over the course of the season."
The Lady Wildcats bounced back well in the tournament, earning a 17-7 win over Salem and a 19-0 victory over McComb, but their run ended Saturday evening with another loss to West Marion, this time by a score of 15-0. Although stats were unavailable for Columbia's contests, Powell said the most important number is that of the reps his players are getting against quality opponents in non-district play.
"On Thursday we went a full seven innings with West Marion, which means we've played more innings against them in the past week than we did all of last season combined," Powell explained. "I think that shows the growth of our young team. They're learning, growing, maturing and trying to figure out how to stay in ballgames and win them. They gave everything they had through every inning we played, and that's what I want to see from them most as we continue growing as a team."
As for the Lady Trojans (6-1), they were nearly perfect in tournament competition, earning three convincing victories while surrendering only one run in the process. On Thursday they defeated Forrest County AHS 14-1, and they picked up where they left off on Saturday with a 17-0 win over East Marino and a 15-0 win over Columbia.
Thursday's victory was highlighted by a grand slam from senior Texas Southern commit Olivia Miller, along with a strong pitching performance from freshman Izzy Pittman. Pittman surrendered only one hit and one run through three innings of action, striking out two in the process as they Lady Trojans ran away with the lead.
Miller's dominance continued on Saturday, both from the plate and from the pitching circle. She homered again yet again, bringing her team-high total to five on the season, and she struck out three while allowing no runs on three hits through three innings pitched. Senior Paris Thompson sent her second home run of the season sailing over the right field fence shortly after, allowing the Lady Trojans to invoke the 10-run rule and earn the win in only four innings of work.
Through seven contests, Miller and Thompson have put up otherworldly numbers. Miller is batting .714 with 12 RBI, 14 runs and five homers, and Thompson is batting .476 with 13 RBI, eight runs and two homers.
The Lady Trojans' dominance continued in their final contest against East Marion, which again resulted after only three innings. Thompson led the way offensively, batting 3-for-4 with two hits and 4 RBI, and Pittman delivered a shutout pitching performance, striking out three while allowing four hits and no runs.
Saturday's loss to West Marion was the only contest of the tournament for East Marion (2-2), who elected to cancel their games on Friday to cheer on the Eagles basketball team at Clinton High School in the Class 2A semifinals.
Columbia and West Marion faced off again in Foxworth on Tuesday, but results were unavailable at press time. On Thursday both teams will be on the road, with the Lady Wildcats taking on Salem and the Lady Trojans taking on Loyd Star. The Lady Eagles' next contest will be on the road Thursday as well, when they travel to Lumberton to take on the Lady Panthers.
