The Winona slow-pitch softball team opened the season last Saturday with a win and a loss in a jamboree hosted by the Lady Tigers. Winona lost to Kosciusko 3-0, but bounced back with a 7-0 victory over Riverside.
“We played pretty good defense. We just didn’t hit the ball,” coach Steven Helms said of the Kosciusko game. “We hit the ball a lot better in the second game.”
Tommesha Brown led the Lady Tigers offensively with two hits in each game. MyCala Helms, had a triple against Riverside.
Sara Neely O’Bryant pitched both games. “She threw really well,” coach Helms said. “She threw a lot of strikes and was able to get a lot of ground balls.”
Winona will play East Webster and Eupora in a tournament at Eupora Saturday.
Because of the merger with Montgomery County, The Lady Tigers will be competing this year in Class II, Region 5 with Forest, Newton, Newton County, Northeast Lauderdale, Quitman and Raleigh. Class II is comprised of 3A and 4A schools. Newton County, a 4A school, is one of the state’s traditional powers in softball.
“It’s going to be tough. We are going to have to fight to get through it,” Helms said.
He said defense will be the team’s strength. “Our batting is going to come as the season progresses. Our pitching is going to get better.”
The infield will be a strength with Brown, Helms and Allyn Claire Gant, according to the coach, but he added, “Our outfield is going to have to step up.”
