by Rusty Ellis
SPARTA – The Smith County Lady Owls moved to 5-1 on the season with their 16-4 win over White County on Wednesday, powered by a seven-run first inning and a six-run sixth.
“We put the bat on the ball and played some good defense,” said SCHS head coach Connie Holder. “Chloe Collins did a good job pitching, and when they put the ball in play, we fielded and just made good plays.”
The scoring started with a bases-loaded walk to Abby Woodard, and an error in the outfielder on the ensuing batter led to two more runs. Jackee Rigsby delivered a two-run double for the Lady Owls, and Collins’ two-run single rounded out the scoring in the first inning, as Smith County took a 7-0 lead.
White County answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first, as a Juliana Damico RBI single and Addison Howell RBI groundout got Sparta on the board. The Warriorettes got runs in both the third and fourth inning, and starter Mabry Taylor limited the damage after the first to cut the lead to just 7-4 going to the fifth.
There however, Smith struck again with three more runs by way of an Avery Woodard RBI single and two more bases-loaded walks to push the lead back up to 10-4. After a shutdown inning in the circle from Collins, the Lady Owls closed out the win with six runs in the top of the sixth to push the final margin to 16-4.
Collins earned the win with six innings of four-run (two earned) ball, four walks and two strikeouts, while adding three RBIs at the plate to help her own cause. Madi Kemp led all hitters with four runs driven in, while Rigsby and Neveah Troutt drove in two runs each.
A 5-1 start to the season is something any head coach will take, and Holder says there’s a lot to like about how her team is playing.
“It’s good all the way around,” Holder said. “They’re working hard, and their hearts are in it this year. They’ve been ready to go.”
Smith County will take on Jackson County in Carthage on Thursday, while White County will host Livingston Academy.
