Holcomb softball sweeps home doubleheader

HOLCOMB – The Holcomb softball team took on Gideon and Delta C-7 at home Thursday evening, and as the team continues to find its stride, the Hornets won 20-5 and 19-0, respectively.

“It was a pretty good start,” Holcomb coach Matt Casper said. “We hit the ball fairly well and we're still working on finding our niche on pitch selection. We've got some young ones and they're growing in that, and the discipline will come. Still, it was a pretty good outing for us.

Junior Jaden Bowen led the Hornets in the circle for all three innings of their first game against Gideon, allowing two hits and five runs on 62 pitches. She threw 34 strikes for three strikeouts with three walks to win in the bottom of the third.

Finishing after the top of the third inning against Delta C-7, Ava Gurley took the mound for the first two innings and allowed zero hits and zero runs on 28 pitches with 18 strikes and five strikeouts with one walk. Ayla Lawrence took over for the final inning and similarly allowed zero hits runs on 10 pitches with four strikes.

“Our pitching was a big question mark,” Casper said, “and I think we've done a good job of keeping it around the zone and giving our defense a chance to make plays. Our defense has been really good at times and other times we can get a lot better. And that just comes with repetition and game experience.”

In the first game Ava Gurley, Ella Lemings and Chloe Hendrix each scored three runs. Kaetlyn Danley and Jasmine White each scored two, and Maleigh Lemings, Libbey Callis, Jules Gurley and Jasmine White each scored one.

Gideon's Madylin Clenney and Allisa Rogers each scored two while Lexus Muller scored one to avoid the shut out.

“I thought in the first game, the pitchers threw strikes but our defense made some errors early,” Casper said. “It's something you see early in the season and it's something we hope we minimize as we grow as a team.”

In the second game, Callis and Hendrix each added three runs to their total, while Ava Gurley and Katelynn Sweaney added two. Danley, Maleigh Lemings, Ella Lemings, Jules Gurley and Zilliah Privett each scored one.

Holcomb's Jules Gurley rounds second base during the Hornets' shutout of Gideon Thursday, March 23, 2023.Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

“We stayed back and hit the ball fairly well,” Casper said. “Not a bad day at the plate when you can score that many runs. We've got some speed, some girls that can hit well, so as long as they're disciplined at the plate good things usually happen for us.”

The Holcomb roster has several girls playing out of position this year, according to Casper. With only two seniors, a mix of juniors and sophomores, and nine freshmen on the team, the necessity for the underclassmen to immediately step into a role has grown this spring.

“We've had four freshmen get significant time, some of those in pitching,” Casper said. “That's been big for us to have some freshmen come in and eat some innings and throw some strikes. We've had a freshmen catch, and she's done a really good job. It's something she hasn't done a bunch, but she's really gotten better every day in that role.”

“We've had another freshman play in outfield and in the infield at second base, and she's been really fundamentally sound for us,” he continued. “And all of them have done really well at the plate. We need and have to have those kids to come in and step up, and so far they're doing that.”

It's all a part of developing players along the way, according to Casper, and the constant improvement he's seen since the Hornets dropped two of three games at the Bearcat Blast tournament in Jonesboro last weekend has been substantial.

“All the way down the line, from freshmen to seniors, we want to make sure these girls are improving every day,” he said. “We just hope that by the time we get to the end, we're playing at the best of our ability.”