NEW MARKET – Dan Taylor took a peak at his lineup card and decided to make a change.
After all, change is good. Usually. It was Saturday for the Southmont softball team. Its head coach put his best pitcher on the bench to start the morning contest against Eminence. When sophomore Kyndale Rice entered the game in the second inning the Mounties turned a 6-0 deficit into their first win of 2023, a come from behind 10-6 victory in front of a chilled, but loud crowd at Mountie Field.
“We’ve been down early all year. We talked to the girls about being punched in the nose you have to punch back,” Taylor said. “Today was very gratifying. They handled it the way we want them to.”
Offensively the turning point was the fourth inning. Down 6-4, South sent 10 hitters up. Number eight slot Kalli Todd was hit by pitch to lead off. Designated player Catie Himes, in her first varsity start, singled to center. They both were driven in by Anna Stokes’ double. The sophomore centerfielder went to third base on a pass ball and then put herself in a rundown and scored.
The home team plated three more runs in the inning thanks to RBI hits by Mallory Mason and Kami Dinius.
South (1-2) was up for good at this point 10-6.
“We’ve been leaving a lot of girls on base. Today we strung hits together, we had some great base running and we got that timely hit.”
Rice mowed down the Eels the rest of the way, allowing only two hits in five-plus innings. Defense helped as well with only one error after the second inning. The Mounties had four miscues to that point.
The only other Eminence threat was in the third. Junior Morghan Taylor, who was on base all four times up, singled and Haleigh Gaskins reached on the last error. The next three Eels never hit it out of the infield and the potential rally died.
“We were pretty sloppy the first couple of innings, but you saw the girls tighten that up, tighten up the pitching and the hitters got more confident.”
The Eels (1-5) jumped on the Mounties for five runs in the opening at bat on only two hits. Thanks to three South errors only one run was earned and the visitors batted around.
Senior Veatch started on the mound for the Mounties. Even after a nifty double play by South on an attempted sacrifice bunt in the second, the visitors loaded the bases the next three hitters, including Veatch’s third walk. Rice entered at that time. She offered a bases loaded walk for a 6-0 Eminence lead before retiring the next hitter.
“(Rice) really had her change up working and had command of it. That’s the entire difference from what we’ve seen from her. If she can have that pitch go for a strike and you can see her confidence build.”
South got back into the game with three runs in the second on RBI singles by Mason, Dinius and Stokes. Another Mason hit in the third drove in another run and South was down only 6-4.
Taylor was ecstatic with production throughout the lineup, but especially spots five through seven that went a combined 7-for-10, five RBI and six runs scored.
“Their pitcher is good. She did some things to challenge us and our girls had good discipline on pitches outside the zone and made contact in the zone. We had a lot of quality at bats and two strike hits.”
Rice and Dinius had two hits each while Mason was 3-3 with 3 RBI to lead that midpack production. Stokes also drove in three from the leadoff post. Every Mountie was on base at least once and all but two had hits.
Rice also struck out two, walked two and hit one while on the mound.
South’s season ratchets up this week, opening Sagamore Conference play Tuesday against unbeaten and Class 3A No. 3 Tri-West before traveling to Tri-West Wednesday.
“With all the respect to Tri-West we tell the girls the game starts 0-0 and we’re going to give it our best shot. Last year, I think we were the only (SAC) team to score on (junior pitcher Audrey) Lowry even if it was an unearned run. We love being on the field with them and we’ll do our best.”
