The Winona slow-pitch softball team hit the field for the first time last Saturday, hosting a jamboree, and came away with two victories.
The Lady Tigers rallied from a 10-3 deficit to defeat Calhoun City 13-12 and blanked Riverside 5-0. Both games went three innings due to the one-hour time limit.
“They played really well once they got the jitters out,” said first year coach Michael Cox. “I was very happy with the way we hit the ball.”
Winona tied the Calhoun City game at 10-10 with seven runs in the bottom of the second. After Calhoun City went ahead 12-10 with two in the top of the third, Winona scored three in the bottom of the inning for the victory.
“We never gave up. I'm super proud of them” Cox said. “We have a long way to go, but this was a big step in the right direction.
Gracie Cordell, Madison Mills and Sarah Winters had big days for the Lady Tigers.
Winona will begin the regular season with a home game against Grenada on Aug. 13. A game with Forest scheduled for August 10 has been canceled.
The key to success, Cox said, will be to hit the way the team did in the jamboree and play good defense, which is always important in slow-pitch with the ball constantly in play. “We have really focused on throwing and catching.”
Because the number of schools fielding slo- pitch teams continues to dwindle, there will be only two MHSAA classes this year, with Class I for 1A, 2A and 3A schools and Class II for 4A, 5A and 6A schools. Winona will compete in Region 4 for Class I with East Webster, Eupora, Hamilton and Hatley.
