It’s the kind of start that Madison County softball fans were hoping for as the Lady Red Raiders move to 5-0 on the season.
“We are off to a good start; the girls are playing hard and they are exciting to watch,” said coach Doug Kesler. “It’s a fast-paced game the girls’ play.”
Opening in the Leadoff Classic, the ladies completely shut down two of the four teams they faced Wednesday and Friday. The championship round of the classic was postponed on Saturday due to rain. Those games have been rescheduled to next week.
Madison County varsity and JV teams take on North Oconee Monday at the high school at 5:15 p.m. The remainder of the games will be made up Saturday, Aug. 28, at the high school. Greenbrier will take on North Oconee at 11 a.m., followed by Greenbrier versus Walnut Grove at 1 p.m. The Madison County girls play their final game of the Classic at 3 p.m. as the Lady Red Raiders take on Walnut Grove.
While the Leadoff Classic was a good opportunity for the ladies to get their feet wet, Madison County faces its first subregion opponent today, Thursday, on the road. The Lady Red Raiders head to Loganville to play at 5:55 p.m. While Madison County got started with a strong 5-0 record, the road has been bumpier for 3-2 Loganville. The Red Devils fell to Brookwood (2-0) and to Heritage, Conyers (5-4) last week in the South Gwinnett Tour.
Coming up next week for the Lady Red Raiders are two more subregion games as Madison County takes on Cedar Shoals and Apalachee.
Leadoff Classic
Strong pitching and girls stepping up to deliver timely hits have been key for Madison County in these early games, according to coach Kesler. The team is undefeated in the tournament and still has to face North Oconee and Walnut Grove.
“We have played good defense,” Kesler said. “We will continue to work on all the aspects of the game, every day [in practice].”
In the first game against Morgan County, the Lady Red Raiders won 16-1 with big plays from Timia Skelton, a grand slam; other top hitters were Haley Peeples, 4-4, Olivia Duncan, 3-4, and Ivie Drake with a triple.
In the second game of the Classic, Madison County shutout Elbert County 9-0. The ladies totaled 15 hits, led by Duncan, 3-4, with a double and an RBI.
Facing Franklin County in the third game added another shutout victory for the Lady Red Raiders as Madison County won 10-0. With five hits, Drake led the offense, 2-2, followed by a hit apiece from Emily Mann, Peeples and Samantha LaZear.
In the first game of the medal round, Madison County took on Greenbrier in a six inning game, where both teams were holding their own. Madison County got on the board first in the fourth inning and ran away in the fifth inning with five runs, going on to win 9-2 over Greenbrier. Drake hit a grand slam in the fifth.
Ringgold
On Tuesday, Madison County faced Ringgold in a full seven inning game.
Taking an early 2-1 lead after the first inning, the Lady Red Raiders hit a slump in the second and third innings.
Ringgold tied it up in the third, but Madison County responded in the fourth inning with two more runs, adding an insurance run in the fifth. Ringgold wouldn’t get back on the board for the remainder of the game. The 5-2 win moves Madison County to 5-0 on the year.
Peeples led the team at bat hitting 3-4 for an RBI, followed by Elizabeth Whieldon with a double and an RBI. Madison County sent all three of its pitchers to the mound with Sarah Smith taking the win after 4 innings pitched. Cortney Boggs and Gabby Gillespie came on and prevented and other runs out of the Ringgold lineup.
Madison County now looks to the first subregion game this afternoon.
Morgan County - 4 inn
Madison 5 3 1 7 - 16
Moragan 0 0 0 1 - 1
--
Smith - WIN
4inn, 5 hits, 1 walk, 2 K
--
Skelton GS, 4 RBI
Peeples 4-4
Duncan 3-4, 3 RBI
Drake 1-2, triple, 2 RBI
Elbert County - 6 inn
MC 1 0 2 4 0 2 - 9
EC 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0
--
Boggs - WIN
6inn, 3 hits, 1 walk, 5 K
--
Duncan 3-4, double, RBI
Drake 2-3, double, 2 RBIs
Skelton 2-2, 2 RBIs
Osborne 2-4, RBI
Mann 2-2
LaZear 2-4
Franklin County - 5 inn
MC 1 2 3 0 4 - 10
FC 0 0 0 0 0 - 0
--
Gillespie - WIN
5inn, 3 hits, 2 walk, 6 K
--
Drake 2-2
Mann hit
Peeples hit
LaZear hit
Greenbrier - 6 inn
MC 0 0 0 1 5 3 - 9
GB 0 0 0 0 1 1 - 2
--
Smith - WIN
6inn, 5 hits, 2 runs,
1 walk, 6 K
--
Peeples 3-4, 2 runs
Drake 3-4, GS, 5 RBIs
Smith 2-3
Osborne hit
Skelton hit
LaZear hit
Ringgold - 7 inn
MC 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 - 5
RG 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 2
--
Smith - WIN
4inn, 4 hits, 2 runs
Boggs
2inn, 0 runs
Gillispie
1inn, 0 runs
--
Peeples 3-4, RBI
Duncan 1-3
Whieldon 1-3, double, RBI
Mann 2-3
Skleton hit
LaZear hit
