CALEDONIA — Caledonia High School softball player Hope Harbin needed an explanation from new head coach Andy Halford.
“Early in the season, I told her to create chaos on the bases,” Halford said. “I wanted her to create some major havoc, change the game up if you will.”
When Harbin offered a confused look, Halford summed it up more succinctly.
“I told her to run (the bases) until they catch her,” Halford said. “I told her to force the issue, even if it meant an out. I’m not saying she is the fastest player in the state. I have seen some other players who are quite fast. However, I can safely say she is one of the fastest players in the state. She is certainly our fastest player.”
Harbin bats leadoff and is one of three seniors who has played a key leadership role for the Lady Confederates.
Expert baserunning and great team speed have helped Caledonia to a 5-1 mark in Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A, Region 2 play.
Those two things also helped Caledonia to a 5-0 victory against Amory in a region game Monday night.
“We are a really great baserunning team,” Caledonia sophomore Maddy Suggs said. “That may be our biggest strength. We are going to apply pressure for seven innings. We keep things going on the bases. If somebody gets on, we are going to find a way to get them in.”
Caledonia (11-2) won its sixth-straight game and completed a season-sweep of Amory in typical fashion. Scoring chances were limited but converted.
After that, it was up to brilliant defense and pitching.
Sophomore Carlee Dale struck out nine and allowed five hits in a complete-game effort. Senior left fielder Riley Huckaby made the game-saving catch with a diving stab for the third out in the third inning. At that time, Amory had runners at second and third and trailed 2-0.
“That play meant everything to us,” Dale said. “We have really improved a lot on defense. In the circle, I was excited because this was one of my best games this season. I felt like I had every pitch going and kept their hitters off balance. If we can score some runs, we will be in good shape.”
Halford has been watching the offense come along, perhaps at a slower pace then he would have liked.
“I inherited the team a couple of hours before the first game,” said Halford, who was an assistant coach last season, “so it really took a little while to get everything sorted out and to get the team going in the right direction. Offensively, we aren’t where we need to be, but it has gotten a lot better.
“Hopefully, things will pick up even more over the next couple of weeks. We are winning games, and I like that. The kids are playing with confidence, and that’s a good sign. Hopefully, we can score more as we get to the end of the (regular) season.
“For now, I like that we take advantage of opportunities. If we get somebody on, we are going to get them in. We are really running the other teams silly on the bases. That’s what you can do when you have speed up and down the lineup.”
In the first inning, Caledonia turned a walk, error, and a sacrifice fly into a 1-0 lead. In the second, Caledonia turned a dropped third strike, a double from CC Devos, and another sacrifice fly into a 2-0 lead.
In the fifth, the Confederates scored three times on three hits, and two stolen bases. Suggs began the inning with a double. After a popup, Lauren Duckworth had an RBI single. Dale followed with a hit. The Lady Confederates then stole a run and scored another on a ground ball out.
“The way Carlee and (Emily Baucom) have pitched, we don’t have to have a lot of runs,” Suggs said. “We are going to keep working at it, though, so we can be ready for the playoffs.”
Baucom is an eighth-grader. She has emerged to carry the bulk of the pitching load this season.
Youth is all over the Lady Feds roster, as eighth- and ninth-graders are making major contributions.
“I know we are getting ready to finish this season strong,” Halford said. “However, you can’t help but be excited about the next four or five years for this program. We are real young but so far haven’t played like it.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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