The Lady Lions earned two wins and two losses in the Lion Classic I. They return to action this weekend for the Lion Classic II.
The Lion’s Roar/ Jay Love
The Lady Lions softball team garnered mixed results in their first series of the season with two wins and two losses.
The 2015 Lion Classic I series took place from Friday, Feb. 6 to Sunday, Feb. 8 at Chappapeela Park. The location was chosen instead of North Oaks Park due to a high number of teams participating in the tournament.
The season started off strong with a 10-4 win versus Alcorn State. The Lady Lions’ most notable achievements during the game include freshman third baseman Sydney Booker’s four runs and freshman Nicole Ayala’s efforts on the circle, striking out four opposing players.
In the 5-1 win versus University of Nebraska, junior Katie Lacour set added yet another game to her now 14-game hitting streak.
“Offensively, Booker stood out the most,” said Lacour. “She had a very consistent weekend at the plate. Defensively, freshman left fielder Kinsey Nichols had some great catches that really changed the game. On the mound, freshman Nicole Ayala and junior Taylor Bishop both had great outings the two times they pitched.”
The Lady Lions’ victory dance was cut short with the 1-6 loss against the University of Tennessee and the 2-3 loss against the University of Texas at Arlington. Though they did not come out on top in the last two games, the Lady Lions still feel they gave a commendable performance in the series.
“In the first game we lost mainly because the other team was doing a great job at the plate,” said Booker. “Spencer Adkinson was pitching for us. She was hitting her spots, but they were simply just hitting her pitches. The second game was a lot closer. They went up on us in the first inning by two runs, but we answered back a few innings later with two runs to tie the game. In the last inning UT Arlington scored on an error. In the bottom of the seventh inning, we had bases loaded with two outs and the game ended on a strike out. I believe we did well in this game, but we just didn’t get the results we wanted.”
Overall, Booker takes pride in the team’s performance.
“I’m very proud of the way my team performed this weekend,” said Booker. “It makes me that much more excited to see what all this season has in store. After this weekend, I’m confident that we can really pull together and make a good run at winning conference.”
According to Lacour, this series pointed out a need for improvement at the plate. Her goals for the team this season are “to be more aggressive at the plate and finish, win those close games that come down to the last couple of innings.”
The season will continue with the 2015 Lion Classic II on Saturday, Feb. 14 through Sunday, Feb. 15 at North Oaks Park.