Hernando Jayvees Close Season with a Flurry

Ever wonder if 12-to-13-year-old middle school softball players could ever hold their own against a high school junior varsity team?
Think again.
Under Monday evening's threatening skies that yielded no more afternoon moisture at Tom Varn Park, Hernando High's JV team proved once again bigger is better.
The older and much more experienced Lady Leopards trailed 1-0 after half-an-inning before exploding for 10 first-inning runs to never look back against Hernando Christian Academy's middle school squad, 25-2.
In a contest called after 4 1/2 innings via the 10-run mercy rule, the Purple and Gold, finished the season at 12-4.
HCA, which dipped to 3-5 overall, was limited to four base hits including a first-inning RBI single by Heather Drummond.

HHS: well-rounded effort

In a complete team performance, HHS helped itself at the plate with a game-high 10 hits. For the hosts, Shelby Goodwin, Frankie Lawrence, Koryn Rivers and Shawnee Sellers each collected two safeties apiece. Eight Leopards drove in at least one run.
Sellers drove in a game-high four runs batted in. In the first inning, she accepted one of the Lady Lions' 13 free passes to force home a run and added a two-run single. In the next inning, Sellers boomed an RBI triple to left.
Though Sellers and Goodwin each scored three times, Lawrence, Rivers and speedster Hailey Royal each scored a game-high four runs apiece.
Toeing the rubber, right-hander Ashley Frye earned the win hurling the first two frames behind two walks and two strikeouts. She left leading 16-4.
Frye was replaced by Jaime Jernigan, who twirled three shutout innings, retiring the last nine batters she faced.
Defensively, HCA hurt its own chances committing 10 errors while hurling nine wild pitches.
HHS JV Coach Casey Ellis believed her team finished they way she had envisioned. On Feb. 26, HHS had previously clubbed HCA, 17-0.
"I told the girls we had to jump out early," she recalled. "We set the tone right from the beginning."
What impressed Coach Ellis the most?
"I call all the pitches. Our pitchers (Frye and Jernigan) worked inside and out and showed the changeup," she said. "We only use three pitches. But the big thing for our pitchers is to get ahead in the count.
"This was our last game, but I felt like every player gave it their all," added Coach Ellis. "I couldn't have asked for a better finish."
Sure, the scoreboard told the final truth, but HCA's Middle School Coach Mandy Hamilton was not distraught.
"We're learning the game," explained the first-year skipper. "We've got a lot of girls who have never picked up a softball before this year. This group is real young.
"We're trying to mold together a team while every other day we're switching our infield around," she said. "Right now, we're trying to find our groove. Hopefully, we'll learn from this (loss)."

Hernando JV 25, HCA 2 (4 1/2 Innings)
1 2 3 45 R H E
HCA 1 1 0 00 -- 2 4 10
HER (10)6 5 4X -- 25 10 1
HCA - K. Lowe, McKay (2) and Field.
HER - Frye, Jernigan and Goodwin.
W - Frye. L - K. Lowe.
2B - Lawrence (HER).
3B - Goodwin, Sellers (HER).
Records - Hernando Christian Academy Middle School (3-5), Hernando JV (12-4).