If there was mounting pressure for Daviess County softball’s nine seniors, it wasn’t evident as they ran onto the field in last night’s season opener – an 8-0 win over, Greenwood. Having bowed out in the second round of the State Tournament in each of the past four years, they are well aware of what’s on the line.
From the first pitch, it was all business as Storey Hume mowed down Lady Gator after Lady Gator, allowing six total baserunners over five shutout innings, striking out four. Calle Smith blew the game open in the top of the first with a three-run homer, and Hume later added a two-run shot of her own.
“I don’t think there’s pressure because they have all been in our program and they all know the expectations,” Daviess County Head Coach John Biggs said. “If anything, it could be a little more relaxing, because they’re veterans and they’ve been through the war and the gauntlet of the schedule we will play. I think they are embracing it, understanding that this is their last go around, but they aren’t looking at it this way.”
After a 1-2-3 top of the first inning, Annie Newman singled home Shelby Bennet for a 1-0 lead. After Moly Hancock was hit by a pitch, Callie drew the second pitch she saw to deep centerfield for a 4-0 lead.
The Lady Panthers doubled their lead in the bottom of the third thanks to Briley Henry’s two-run double, and Hume’s two-run homer.
“I was just really looking for my pitch,” Hume said. “I had an approach before I went up there, and then I got it. I paid attention to the height. It was inside, and I just turned on it.”
Greenwood’s best scoring opportunity came in the top of the fifth, but a pair of stellar defensive plays erased the threat.
Hume, Henry, and Smith combined for three hits and seven RBIs, Newman went 2-3 with an RBI, and Kylie Clark went 1-4. Sophia Cain entered in relief in the sixth, allowing one hit over two shutout innings.
“I thought tonight we were a lot more patient at the plate, understanding what the strike zone was, and seeking out our pitches and not their pitches,” Biggs said. “I thought our defense was really good. Storey was able to keep them off balance with some of her off-speed pitches, but when she needed to bring some heat, she was able to do that.”
It only gets busier for the Lady Panthers, as they take on Allen County-Scottsville later tonight, before traveling to Liberty Creek, Tennessee Saturday for a double-header.
