Lady Eagles making the mental adjustments

The youthful Seymour softball team succumbed to the veteran Alcoa Lady Tornadoes in a 5-0 loss Wednesday night.
An excellent pitching match-up was on display for the cool spring evening in the picturesque setting that the Lady Eagles call home.
Brittany Hollifield took the mound for the Lady Tornadoes.
Cheré Monday played her counterpart and despite a rough beginning, pitched well for Seymour throughout the contest. “She did a good job of holding them close…we played well, they just seemed to hit some spots in our defense that we couldn’t get to,” said Seymour assistant coach Ron Blaydes.
Monday worked her way out of a jam in the opening frame of the ballgame, leaving the bases loaded with lady tornadoes. Alcoa did score two runs in the first, but with Monday’s second strikeout, she had kept the deficit manageable.
Alcoa’s Hollifield is easily one of the top players in the district. Her opposition has had difficulty reaching base all season long.
Hollifield remained nearly perfect through the first five innings.
She had only allowed one Lady Eagle to reach base on a walk going into the bottom of the sixth.
Hollifield met Alcoa’s need at bat as well.
First basewoman Sabre Cline also had an impressive game, leading the way by going 3-4 with two runs scored.
The middle of Alcoa’s lineup did most of the damage. The combination of Cline, Hollifield, and Arika McDonald accounted for three of the Lady Tornadoes runs.
The stage was set for a no-hitter until Senior Brittany Helton achieved the Eagles’ only hit. The base knock came following a Natalie Hawn walk presenting hope for the home crowd.
Seymour had threatened to dice first place Alcoa’s lead but would leave both players stranded. The late inning rally would prove to be the closest the Lady Eagles’ would come to crossing the plate.
“The seniors have to step up. We have some really good players, and great young talent, we just need to make the mental adjustments of playing at this level,” commented Blaydes.
As the season progresses, one of the main roles for the seniors on the freshman-laden squad will be helping the underclassmen adjust to the high school level.
While the Lady Eagles struggled offensively, there were some noteworthy offerings in the field.
Sophomore Brittini Raulston had a solid evening at second base. She was called upon several times by the grounders and popups of the Lady Tornadoes, and each time she answered the call with an out.
Katie Randals joined Raulston with a gem of her own on a deep fly to right field late in the contest.
The Lady Eagles now put their focus into tournament play. They will be playing at Anderson Co. March 30 – April 1.

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