St. Joe softball wins two in a row

After losing the first four games of the season, the Tiger Shark softball team notched two wins in a row last week to bring their record to 2-4. 

The week started with a disappointing trip to Lynn Haven on March 1, where the 3-2 Mosley Dolphins handed St. Joe a 10-0 defeat. Maelynn Butler had two hits for the Sharks, and Addy Silcox took the loss. 

Thursday’s home game against the winless Rutherford Rams proved more beneficial to the Sharks, who enjoyed an 18-0 romp in only three innings for their first win of the season. 

Brooklyn Bishop struck out eight Rams for St. Joe, whose offensive leaders on the night included Butler, Kali Austerman, and Silcox who each had two hits. Silcox led the team with six RBI. 

“We needed a win and a morale booster,” said Shark head coach Lissa Walker,” so we will take the W. Hopefully, (this game) jump-starts us in the right direction.” 

The next night, the Sharks continued in the right direction when their visit to Bethlehem High ended with a 14-0 win over the 1-2 Wildcats. 

Bishop gained her second shutout victory in a row, striking out 10 Wildcats while allowing only two hits and two walks in the five inning affair. 

The Sharks, who struck for 12 hits during the game, scored four runs in each of the first two innings, two more in the fourth, and another four runs in the 5th and final inning. 

Ellie Newman led the Shark offense with three hits, including a double, and scored two runs. Addy Creekmore, Erica Ramsey, and Austerman had two hits each, with Creekmore and Austerman scoring twice each and Ramsey touching the plate three times. 

Besides Newman’s two-bagger, the Tiger Sharks displayed a combination of power and speed with triples from Austerman, Creekmore, Silcox, and Chelsea Bishop. 

“I thought we hit well and took advantage of some good base running to get some runs,” said Walker. “Brooklyn threw well and took care of things in the circle.” 

“The puzzle pieces,” said the Shark coach, “hopefully will come together soon.” 

Walker and the Sharks played host to the Blountstown Tigers on Monday, March 7 before visiting Bay High School in Panama City the following night.

PSJ baseball looks for first win

The Tiger Shark nine continued to look for that elusive first victory of the season last week, losing to the Sneads Pirates 6-3 March 1, and the Bainbridge Bearcats 12-2 on Friday, March 4. 

At Sneads, the 0-5 Sharks took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second inning, but the Pirates struck back for three runs in their half of the inning and never trailed after that. 

The Pirates added two more runs in the bottom of the 4th, and St. Joe scored its final run in their last at bat. 

Sneads managed the win even though Shark pitchers surrendered only three hits, although they did issue eight free passes. The Pirates improved to 3-2 with the win. 

On Friday, St. Joe made the two hour trip to Bainbridge, Georgia, for an encore game against the Bearcats, and took a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning. 

Unfortunately, Bainbridge took the mystery out of the contest with an 8-run 3rd inning, followed by three more in the 4th and a final run to end the game in the 5th inning. 

While Shark pitching gave up only five hits and zero earned runs, five walks combined with nine fielding miscues doomed St. Joe to another loss. 

Jabara Pearson led the Sharks with two hits, including a double, a run and an RBI. Dakota Quinn and Donovan Cumbie also stroked doubles, with Cumbie scoring the other St. Joe run. 

The Sharks visited Vernon on Tuesday, March 8, still seeking their first win of the season.