Lady Jags blow past Lithonia Bulldogs 18-4

In a four-inning hitfest, the Cedar Shoals varsity softball team defeated the Lithonia Bulldogs 18-4 on Oct. 2. 

The Bulldogs started off strong, scoring twice within the first inning, but the Lady Jags recuperated quickly, responding with seven runs of their own. Head coach Logan Garrett credits this shift in momentum to her team’s motivation. 

“Sometimes we go games without anybody getting on base, and that can be really discouraging. By putting in all the players, and I think that once batters hit, they get the itch to want to hit again,” coach Garrett said.

The Lady Jags added an additional seven runs to their tally in the second inning before Lithonia responded with two runs in the top of the third. Cedar finished out the game by scoring four additional runs in the bottom of the fourth, taking the total to 18-4, and holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the top of the fourth. 

Despite much pre-game optimism, sophomore third baseman Savannah Rawls notes that the team made sure to take the game one inning at a time. 

“We went in here kind of having an idea that we were gonna win, but we didn’t let that let us play bad. We played our best and we didn’t make the mistakes we usually make,” Rawls said.  

Senior shortstop Amelia Hembree highlighted the offense, scoring twice with one RBI. 

“I think I did pretty well when batting during this game and got on base with every at bat which is a big improvement when compared to earlier in the season. Overall, I definitely think that our batting skills are improving and we are having more girls get on base,” Hembree said. 

On defense, freshman pitcher Gretta Garrett struck out seven in four innings, while allowing only three hits in total. Additionally, she gave away zero walks, while the Bulldogs walked the Lady Jags 10 times. 

Overall, coach Garrett believes the team performed well on both sides of the ball. 

“We set some goals, and the girls met those goals. I think setting a goal was one important part of our mindset and we had to play really clean. We had some aggressive base running and really strong pitching,” she said. 

With this game being one of the last of the season, the team made sure to enjoy every at bat and have fun in the dugout.