Miranda H. Lewis
Carter County Times
The stakes get higher with each passing week, and last week’s slate of games highlighted the cream of the crop in local softball and baseball action.
A beautiful spring evening paired with a championship winner at the end of Tuesday’s contest between the Raceland Lady Rams and the West Carter Lady Comets, made for a fantastic outing at the ball field.
In a battle for the 16th Region All “A” Classic championship title, Raceland (10-4) bested West Carter (8-8) 16-0 behind a dominant performance from sophomore Kali Vance.
Vance wasted no time making her mark as she smashed a home run in the first inning to build a 2-0 lead.
A few pitches later, she repeated this feat as she once again made solid contact to nab her second dinger of the affair.
Vance was 2-for-3 and drove in four to edge the momentum in favor of the Ram’s for a four-inning mercy-run-rule victory.
Despite the loss, West Carter coach Zach Stevens said that the environment was good practice for his squad to prepare for post-season.
“We have emphasized that we have to be in game situations, pressure situations and sometimes uncomfortable situations in order to grow and get better,” he said. “It is the grind of a season, and you can’t get too high or too low, you have to be mentally tough. Games like this help us get better in every aspect of the game.”
Raceland opened the game with Davanna Grubb in the circle, where she, too, quickly set the tone for the game.
Grubb tossed a one-hit shutout while striking out eight.
Bailee Artrip tried to build a threat for the Lady Comets with a leadoff single in the second, but the Rams defense was up for the challenge.
Vance quickly threw out the runner trying to steal second, followed by retiring the next eight hitters in order – six via strikeout.
Raceland’s offensive prowess was on full display as they continued their dominance to start the fourth 4-0.
Makenzie Bradley started the inning with her first of two doubles in the frame.
To put a bow on a spectacular two-way performance, Vance drove a two-run hit to left center to bring the game to a close.
“The game didn’t turn out like we wanted it to, no one wants to get beat, no one wants that big inning to happen but it’s an opportunity to look at some things that we did positively and highlight some areas that we need to clean up or do better in,” said Stevens.
Noting the Lady Comets win over Fairview the prior evening as a “big step” for his team, Stevens remained optimistic about the remainder of the season.
“I am still very proud of our girls and the progress that they have made. Getting better and competing isn’t comfortable, growth isn’t comfortable. We have emphasized having the mindset of embracing that discomfort because it makes us better players and people,” he said.
He added, “Pressure makes diamonds.”
The Lady Comets return to the field on April 20 to host the East Carter Lady Raiders in 62nd district action.
Contact the writer at miranda@cartercountytimes.com
