Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis
The Upperman Lady bees got off to a fast start in Monday’s 15-0 victory over the Jackson County Lady Devils.
After Jackson County went down in quick fashion to open the first, Upperman struck for eight runs in the opening frame to grab an 8-0 lead.
The Lady Devils were set down in order in the second, though the Lady Bees were held to just a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning.
The third is where Upperman put the game away. After Jackson County only mustered up a walk in the top half, the Lady Bees scored five runs in quick succession in the bottom half to close out the 15-0 victory.
Reece Kimmel led the way in the circle with three innings of one-hit, shutout ball with four strikeouts for head coach Dustin Williams.
“We think we have the potential for anybody to give us a spot start if needed,” Williams said. “It was really good for some of our younger players tonight to get the varsity experience, and it was really good for our older girls to be their supporters.”
The freshman Kimmel put together three really good innings for Williams, who says he’s not surprised by how good she was considering the work she’s put in.
“Reece Kimmel plays a lot of softball, she plays it year-round,” Williams said. “She’s growing up really quickly, we just need to keep bringing her along little-by-little. She’s proven she can hold her own at the varsity level.”
While the eight-run first inning is what will draw a lot of attention, the third inning is where Williams says he saw a much more focused approach at the plate for his team.
“We have to have a plan, and we have to attack that plan,” Williams said. “We did a lot better job in pitch-selection and drawing more walks as the game went along. We did a much better job keep the ball below our hands and driving through contact.”
