After rain forced the Kosciusko softball program to push its season back a week, the Lady Whippets returned to the diamond and began their title defense with a resounding 17-0, run-rule-shortened win against Choctaw County last Tuesday. Katie Mitchell and Maddy Gilmore shared duties in the circle, and the duo allowed just one hit.
Gilmore went three innings and struck out six Choctaw County batters. Mitchell fanned one batter and allowed one hit in one inning's worth of work.
Jose Meggs and Campbell Blaine each knocked a triple. Meggs also added a single to go with a team-high three RBIs. AnnaLeigh Jones's stat line included a double, single and two RBIs. Emma Rush tallied two RBIs and a single, while Gilmore finished with two singles.
Meggs, Blaine and Brooke Mitchell scored three runs apiece, while Rush, Katie Mitchell and Kelly Hood each tallied two runs.
“We had been out of rhythm with all the rain and everything… with as many people as we replaced this year, I was fairly pleased,” Kosciusko coach Tony Terry said. “With Madeline getting hurt, we have three new outfielders now. I know we have some athletes out there, so I was anxious to see who was going to step up, and what they were going to do.”
Kosciusko's (2-0) sharp hitting and effective pitching carried over into the weekend, as the Lady Whippets picked up their second win of the season with their 17-2, run-rule shortened win against Cleveland Central on Saturday.
Gilmore and Katie Mitchell again shared pitching duties, and Emmagail Kelley received an inning of work. Gilmore fanned three batters while Mitchell retired two. Kelley was tagged for two earned runs.
“The pitching has been good,” Terry said. “We have two back who won the state championship last year – Katie Mitchell and Maddy Gilmore – so we’re solid there. We have a lot of experience. When you go through what they went through last year, I expect them to be better this year than they were last year, just from the experience standpoint of pitching all of those three-game series and getting to the state championship… Through the first two games, so far they’ve been spot-on.”
Hood provided the power with a team-best four RBIs. She hit two singles to go with a triple. Meggs finished with a double and a single. Gilmore smacked three singles, while Rush hit two. Jones ended with a triple.
Hood, Meggs, Katie Mitchell, Brooke Mitchell, KC Schuler and Blaine scored two runs apiece.
“It’s only two games in, but what I’ve seen so far, they’ve looked pretty good,” Terry said.
Weather permitting this week, Kosciusko hosts Choctaw Central (Tuesday), Choctaw County in a double-header (Thursday) and the Whippets welcome Winona and Florence on Saturday.
After missing the first week of the season because of rain, Terry said he hopes for a better forecast this week so that his players can play games on a consistent basis.
“I’m just expecting for all the young players we have to keep growing and keep doing a good job like they have,” Terry said. “We just really need to get out there and play (on) consistent days instead of playing one game and then sitting around for five days. We just need to get into a rhythm where we play games in a row every two days like we’re supposed to… I’ve been doing this 15 years, and I never remember only playing two games by this time, but I think everybody’s in the same boat.”
