New Hope High has been on the search for offensive consistency throughout the fast-pitch softball season.
The Lady Trojans found lots of it Tuesday night, as New Hope pounded out 13 hits in a 17-0 rout of Columbus.
Both coaches agreed to call the contest with one out in the top half of the fourth inning. New Hope drew five straight walks and had scored nine runs in the frame when play was halted.
“We have been working on hitting better,” New Hope sophomore D.J. Sanders said. “We have been struggling with different speeds of pitches. So we have been working on making adjustments.
“We did a lot better job of watching pitches tonight. That was a big key.”
New Hope drew eight walks and reached as hit batsmen on two more occasions. Three errors also plagued the Lady Falcons’ cause.
“I was proud of our eye for the ball, we made much wiser decisions at the plate tonight,” New Hope coach Tabitha Beard said. “We watched when we needed to watch and we swung when we needed to swing.
“When you get to this point in the season, you have to take advantage of what the other teams gives you. We did a really great job of that tonight.”
This contest was much different than three weeks ago when New Hope took a tightly-contested 5-1 decision between the rivals at its home park.
“We played hard and we did a better job of hitting strikes,” New Hope junior Lauren Holifield said. “Our defense has always been solid. Good defense usually leads to good offense.
“We were able to have a good start and that kept us going throughout the game.”
New Hope turned four hits into three runs in the first inning. Holifield, Kaitlin Bradley and Sanders set the tone with consecutive singles to start the contest. Bradley drove in a run with a hit, while Ashley Reed did the same.
Four moreh hits led to a five-run second inning for the Lady Trojans. Again, Holifield and Bradley set the table with back-to-back singles to open that at-bat.
New Hope failed to score in the third inning before erupting for nine runs in the fourth inning.
Holifield capped a four-hit night with a massive three-run home run in that at-bat.
Holifield also recorded the pitching win in the circle. She faced one batter past the minimum while allowing no hits in three innings of work.
Sanders also threw a no-hitter when the teams first met at New Hope.
“Laurel did a great job pitching,” Beard said. “She has really elevated her game. She does a great job of throwing strikes and competing.”
Now New Hope (11-3-1 overall) gears up for a Class 5A, Region 3 matchup at Neshoba Central Thursday. The Lady Trojans can clinch the region title with a win.
New Hope beat Neshoba 10-1 earlier this year.
“Hopefully, our offense will carry over,” Holifield said.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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