WEST POINT — Mamie Allen didn”t look different.
But when you factored in temperatures near 100 degrees with a weekend off following a season-opening victory, something appeared not right with the junior right-hander.
It”s a credit to Allen that she was able to work through the outing and lead her team to another victory.
Allen scattered eight hits in a complete-game effort Monday to lead the Oak Hill Academy fast-pitch softball team to a 4-1 victory against Starkville Academy at Kim Keller Field.
“I was confident, but I don”t know. I don”t think we were all there today,” said Allen, who improved to 2-0 on the season.
Allen walked one and struck out four in the seven-inning game that finished well before the one-hour, 30-minute time limit. Even though Allen and the Lady Raiders (2-0) backed up their season-opening victory against Heritage Academy on Friday, Oak Hill Academy coach Marion Bratton wasn”t pleased.
“I think (both teams) suffered from Mondayitis today,” Bratton said. “That”s what I blame it on.”
Bratton demonstrated his frustration after the top of the fifth when Allen escaped a potential game-changing jam. With two outs and a runners at second and third, Allen induced catcher Megan Aucoin to ground back up the middle. Allen took a step toward third base to field the ball and saw the runner break from the base in an attempt to score. Instead of making the routine play to first base to end the inning, Allen threw the ball home, where catcher Hunter Coleman was standing up. Coleman recovered in time to retire the sliding runner and end the threat.
In between innings, Bratton gathered his players and chastised them, saying, “Why are you not thinking today?”
Bratton said he was out of town Saturday, so his team didn”t get a chance to practice following its opener. Even though all fast-pitch teams have had less than a month of practice, Bratton said the Lady Raiders need to be on top of their game in all situations.
“I don”t think we were as crisp today,” Bratton said. “I think we got better the last couple of innings.”
Bratton attributed his team”s play to not having a good day at the plate. The Lady Raiders managed only three hits against starting pitcher Julianne Jackson, who also pitched a complete game. He said Allen and several other players tend to dwell too much on at-bats that don”t go their way and to take those memories into the field.
On this day, though, Oak Hill Academy was able to overcome those missteps.
“We don”t practice to play like we did today,” Bratton said, “but another win is another win.”
Bratton said his players have to do a better job of thinking what they need to do with the ball before it is hit. He feels confident that focus will come, especially considering he has a host of experienced players at most every position.
Oak Hill Academy scored three times in the third inning to give Allen all the support she needed. Right fielder Codi Williams was hit by a pitch and then stole second base. Unfortunately, Williams appeared to jam her right leg sliding into the base and had to be helped off the field. She didn”t return. Jessi Cole took her place and went to third base on a wild pitch and scored on a bloop single to center field by Coleman. Leadoff hitter Maegen Ellis followed with a sinking line drive to center field that got under the glove of Emily Gregory and rolled deep into the outfield. The double scored another run and put Ellis in scoring position. A fielder”s choice and a fielding error capped the scoring.
The scoring answered Starkville Academy”s run in the top half of the inning. With one out Adrienne Futral slapped a single, stole second base, and scored on a double by Lauren Ware. Ware moved to third on a single by Jackson, but Allen retired Nikki Ford on a popout to end the inning.
Allen allowed hits in each of the next four innings, but the Lady Raiders erased another runner at the plate in the fourth and avoided a potential jam in the sixth when they retired Megan Picard, who singled to lead off the sixth, at second base following an overthrow.
Starkville Academy first-year coach Kayla Mosley echoed Bratton”s sentiments about her team”s play. She said many of the things the team did Monday — not sliding on close plays, making the wrong decisions on the basepaths — happened Saturday when it went 1-2 at the season-opening Bayou Academy tournament.
“We have to use our heads,” Mosley said. “We had more mental mistakes like we made Saturday. Hopefully we will get back into the right frame of mind.”
Mosley has confidence her players will correct their mistakes in large part because they are experienced. Many of the players are back from last year, even if the team is still trying to find itself after losing catcher and leader Bailey Wofford to graduation.
Mosley said she needs someone on the team to emerge as a take-charge teammate who can provide a lift on days like Monday when the team has to have a spark.
“We have players who hate to lose and some are going to want to correct the mistakes we made today,” Mosley said. “Hopefully we will come back against Central (Academy on Wednesday) and be the team I know we can be.”
Futral paced Starkville Academy with two hits. Mary Austin Barber, Ford, Aucoin, and Picard also had hits for the Lady Volunteers.
Allen had the only other hit for Oak Hill Academy, which plays at 5 p.m. today at Calhoun Academy.
Allen isn”t sure how the team will fare today, but she knows it is capable of doing better.
Coleman, who is in her third year catching Allen, agrees and said the Lady Raiders need get back together and play like they did Friday.
“Starkville and Heritage are always our rivals, and to beat them right off the bat it gives us something big to go on,” Coleman said.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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