Wewa softball earns two wins in a row

Wewahitchka honored its four senior softball players at “senior night” on Monday, March 28, and kept the party going with a 7-0 shutout win over visiting Blountstown in a district contest.

The celebration continued on Tuesday night as the Gators shocked the 3A Marianna Bulldogs 9-3.

Against the Tigers, Wewa scored single runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings before taking control with two more runs in the 5th and three in the 6th.

Senior pitcher Haley Guffey held Blountstown hitless while striking out 18 batters.

The Gators collected nine hits, including four doubles, during the game. Seniors Morgan Mayhann, Kylie Parker, and Katie Shealy all had two hits, as did junior Madison Forehand. Forehand, Guffey, Mayhann, and Parker each hit doubles, and Parker also scored twice.

Freshman Laiken Ferrell, Guffey, sophomores Kennedy Murphy and Ashley Thompson, and Shealy all touched home plate during the game.

The Gators also stole seven bases, led by Ferrell’s two swipes. Guffey, Mayhann, Murphy, Ashley and Hope Thompson all drove runners home in the win against the Tigers.

The following night, Wewa scored five runs in the top of the 5th inning on its way to a decisive win over Marianna, who had beaten the Gators 11-0 in a preseason game in February.

Guffey held the powerful Bulldog lineup scoreless until the 6th inning, when the Gators held a 7-run advantage.

Wewa put two more runs on the board in its final at bat for the winning margin.

For the game, Guffey struck out 10 batters, giving her 165 K’s in 87 innings this season.

Included among the eight Wewa hits, Guffey, Parker, and freshman Keersten Easter hit two-baggers. Parker, who leads the team in runs batted in, drove in three Gator runners, with Easter and Ashley Thompson also having RBI’s.

Hope Thompson scored twice, while sister Ashley also scored a run.

Ferrell, eighth-graders Severa Haney and Emma Rustin, seventh-grader Eden Rustin, Mayhann, and Murphy also scored for the Gators.

“We are starting to do the little things better,” said Gator coach Justin Smith. And the four seniors on the team have been setting the example.

In addition to being the team leader in RBI’s with 18, Parker is tied with Ashley Thompson for the most stolen bases, with 12, and leads the team in extra base hits (7) and slugging percentage (.551).

From her leadoff position, Shealy tops the team in hits (19), runs (16), and batting average (.388).

Besides being the Gator ace, Guffey has hit the most doubles, with 6, and leads the team with a .500 on-base percentage.

Guffey’s battery mate, Mayhann, holds a .994 fielding percentage, and “has really stepped up in all parts of the game,” according to Smith, “(and) the younger girls feed off that.”

When asked about how well the team had been playing of late, the senior catcher said “the four seniors (recently) got together and talked about how we were struggling to get our bats going, so we had a team meeting. We wanted to set an example for the team.”

Whatever happened at the team meeting seems to have worked, because “we weren’t intimidated at all by Marianna,” said Mayhann. “I’m proud of the way the offense is coming through for Haley.”

“Haley is always spot on,” said Mayhann, “and I’m going to be there for her, and our defense is there for her. When I do (a good job), it makes Haley look better.”

With the two wins, Wewa’s season record improved to 11-3, while Blountstown is 2-8 and Marianna is 7-2.

The Gators travel to Panama City Beach on Tuesday, April 5, to take on the Arnold Marlins, followed by a tough district opponent in Franklin County on Friday, April 8, in Eastpoint.