After having six consecutive rain outs, Columbia Academy’s softball team finally returned to the diamond Aug. 15, and has been fortunate enough to avoid the summer rain for its last three scheduled games.
The rust from not playing in more than a week showed on the road in an 11-0 loss to Presbyterian Christian. Maddie Claire Sauls led the Lady Cougars with a 2-for-2 showing, blasting a double to lead off the game to go along with a walk and a single. Lauren Rowley also had a single for Columbia Academy.
On Monday, the Lady Cougars played just their second district game of the season, falling 10-0 on the road to Bowling Green. Maggie Wilks had the only Columbia Academy hits in the game, connecting for a single in the second inning and a double in the fourth.
After connecting for just five hits in their previous two games, the Lady Cougars came to life at the plate in a 13-0 win over Prentiss Christian Tuesday night at home. Columbia Academy had seven players combine for nine hits, including four doubles.
First-year head coach Delyse Montgomery-Jones said getting back in the win column was big for the Lady Cougars.
“It’s definitely going to be a confidence booster because we’ve been in a rut here lately,” she said. “We haven’t been able to get the bats going, but (Tuesday) night we were able to get the bats going early and keeping them going.”
Despite having a 3-0 lead in the second inning, Columbia Academy looked to be in trouble as Prentiss Christian loaded the bases with no outs. But the Lady Cougars defense made an instinctive play to escape the jam. Aveen Lee hit a popup to second base that Bailey Buckley caught, then tagged the runner between first and second base, threw it to Lauren Rowley at shortstop, who tagged the runner between second and third for a 4-6 triple play.
“I’m thankful that Bailey (Buckley) and Lauren (Rowley) recognized what was going on on the field,” Montgomery-Jones said. “It’s always important to know where you can get an out. They did a very good job of communicating and knowing where to go with the ball. I’ve never seen one in person, but I was really pumped to get one.”
After escaping the jam, Columbia Academy struck for three runs in the bottom of the frame and seven more in the third.
Megan Rowley led the charge offensively out of the nine-hole with two doubles and an RBI, while Buckley went 2-for-3 with three steals and an RBI. Kyla Williams and Lauren Rowley both had an RBI double, while Sauls, Wilks and Presley Dease each had a single.
With a six-day layoff before their next game, Montgomery-Jones said the Lady Cougars will be working on a lot in practice.
“Definitely remaining loose at the plate and seeing the ball, getting the barrel through the zone and squaring up the ball,” she said of what they will focus on. “Our pitchers are going to be at work a ton, knowing where to place the ball in 0-2 counts. We need to keep working behind the plate; Megan (Rowley) has done an amazing job lately keeping everything in front as best as she can. We want to stay loose and try to ride this high that we’re on, but we’re definitely not where we want to be.”
The Lady Cougars (2-7) will host Lamar Christian Tuesday evening at 5:30.
Pictured Above: Presley Dease delivers a pitch for the Lady Cougars in a 13-0 shutout win over Prentiss Christian. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
