Port St. Joe softball opens season with wins
Prior to Friday night’s loss at Wewa, the Port St. Joe softball team started the season with wins against Sneads on Tuesday, February 28, and Munroe on Thursday, March 2.
At Sneads, the Tiger Sharks struck for a run in the second inning on an Addy Silcox double and Bre Fleming’s rbi groundout.
Brooklyn Bishop and the defense made that early score hold up until the Pirates tied the game in their last at bat in regulation play.
St. Joe regained the lead in their half of the eighth inning when Lauren Brant doubled and Addy Creekmore drove her home with what turned out to be the game-winning hit.
Not rolling over, Sneads took advantage of two Shark fielding miscues to put runners at second and third with only one out, but Creekmore secured the win when she caught a fly out and threw a bullet to a waiting Brant who easily tagged out the Pirate runner to end the game.
In pitching the complete game victory, Bishop allowed only the single run on two hits while walking five and striking out nine.
The Sharks only had four hits of their own, but three of them were doubles: Bishop, Brant, and Silcox. St. Joe had an easier time when Munroe came to town on Thursday, winning by a 6-2 margin.
Although the Bobcats managed to get on the scoreboard with a run in the first inning, the Sharks took a 2-1 lead in their half of the inning.
Leading off, Brant hit a single and stole her way to third base. Continuing her hot bat, Creekmore singled up the middle to send Brant home, and would come around to score on Fleming’s rbi single.
Munroe tied the score in the second with two hits of their own, but Silcox would allow no more Bobcat runs, whereas the Sharks added single runs in each of the next four innings to claim the 6-2 win.
Maelynn Butler scored in the St. Joe second as a result of her bunt single, two stolen bases, and a wild pitch.
In the third, Silcox aided her own cause with a one-out triple up the first base line, scoring on a Bobcat error. The next inning, Brant smashed a one-out double off the left field fence, stole third base, and scored on another Munroe fielding mistake.
Finally, Silcox started the sixth inning with a walk, stole second and then third, and came home on Chelsea Bishop’s rbi bunt single.
With the lead, St. Joe coach Lissa Walker brought in Christina Clayton to finish the game, and she did it in fine fashion by striking out the side sandwiched around a hit batter.
In her six innings pitched, Silcox allowed three hits, two runs (one earned), a single walk, a hit batter, along with seven strikeouts.
Along with the eight Shark hits, including a double and a triple, St. Joe swiped 11 bases for the night.
Brant collected two hits (one double), scored twice, and stole two bases. Butler also had two hits, a run, and two steals. In addition to her triple, Silcox scored twice and stole two bases.
Creekmore had a hit, a run, an rbi, and two swipes. Elli Newman added a hit, and Chelsea Bishop had a hit, an rbi, and a steal. As a pinch runner, Anniston Gainer added a stolen base.
Notably absent from the lineup this week was senior shortstop Kali Austerman, who had an MRI to find out about her knee injury.
While hoping that Austerman’s injury can be healed soon, Walker said “It’s not the ideal situation for us, but it’s forcing us to play the younger ones so that they can grow up. Honestly, I think it’s going to make us stronger in the end” when Austerman returns in full strength.
Following the loss at Wewa on Friday night, things did not get any easier with a trip to Liberty County on Monday, March 6 followed by a trip to Poplar Springs on Thursday, March 9 before hosting Bethlehem on Friday, March 10.