The East Jackson Lady Eagles got the 2008 softball season off to a good start last week with back-to-back wins against Clarke Central, followed by a strong run in the Hawk/Bulldog Invitational at Peachtree Ridge.
The Lady Eagles were scheduled to host Habersham Central in their home opener Wednesday afternoon. Check www.mainstreetnewssports.com for score updates.
East Jackson came out of the box strong, handing losses to the Gladiators of Clark Central, first in a game on Aug. 15 that went only three innings, with the Lady Eagles coming away with a 20-0 win. The second win at the expense of the Gladiators came on Aug. 19, with a 20-2 victory in four innings.
“We had lots of hits,” said East Jackson head coach Jason Rainey. “We got a real good start.”
The Lady Eagles recorded 30 hits in the first two games.
Rainey pointed to several players who performed well against the Gladiators to give East Jackson the big start they’ve had.
Sophomore Brooke Yarbrough went 4-for-4 in the first two games, and hit a home run in game two. Junior Shelby Johnson went 4-for-4, while junior Lamara Joiner went 5-for-5.
“That was the three that got us off to a good start,” Rainey said. “They had 13 hits on their own in the first two games.”
Haley Thompson picked up the win from the mound in both games.
Next up was a trip to Peachtree Ridge and the Hawk/Bulldog Invitational. East Jackson had hoped to carry its momentum into the tournament, but hit a bump in the road early on when the Eagles lost to Peachtree Ridge in the opening game 2-0.
But East Jackson made the Lions work for the win. The game remained scoreless until the sixth inning, when Peachtree Ridge got two runners on with walks. The Eagles walked one run in, while the other was bunted in.
Rainey said he felt it was a good showing against a team that last year went 8-1 in region play to finish second.
“We played really well,” Rainey said. “For them to be so good, and for us to have a couple of shots to win, I was very proud of how the girls played. That’s a pretty tough game this early in the season.”
Bralee Griffin had two hits for East Jackson against Peachtree Ridge.
Kaitlin Hill, pitching her first game for the Lady Eagles, recorded the loss.
“I was very proud of our girls,” Rainey said. “Their school is a lot bigger than ours. It was a good start. I was pleased with how they handled themselves.”
From there, East Jackson would go on to defeat Brookwood 1-0 and Kennesaw Mountain 4-2 on Friday.
On Saturday, the Eagles lost to Collins Hill 7-1, but came back to defeat Harrison 1-0, and Warner Robbins 4-0.
No stats from the weekend games were available at press time.
East Jackson’s region schedule starts Tuesday at 5:55 when Dawson County visits.
