As the cold weather lingers while spring grows near, the Lady Titan softball team brushed off their mitts, lit their diamond and were ready to start their season. The ladies hosted the Sullivan Golden Arrows in the softball season opener on Monday, March 20. 

The Titans took the field with senior Alexis Tucker starting on the mound. Tucker was the team’s ace pitcher last year and returns for her final season.

The Titans gave up a run in the top of the first. The Titans leadoff hitter senior Sydney Long started the Titans off with a hit over third base, earning her a single. This energy got things moving for the girls – finishing the first inning with two runs on the board, one from Long and one from sophomore Lauryn Adamson. 

“I thought we had a great start, and we could be really good this season with little work,” Tucker said.

In the second inning, junior Ally Malone found her spot on base with a single. Long and senior EmmaLee Higgs both joined Malone on the bases with singles of their own, but a groundout from Adamson closed the inning with no runs scored for the Lady Titans.

“Our defense was big in this game to help Lex out on the mound,” Malone said. “Our offense was also crucial because we gave up a run in the first, but we were able to execute at the plate to get on top. We still have room for improvement on both defense and offense, but it was a great start to the season.”

Throughout the remainder of the game, the Lady Titans gave up one run in the seventh inning, with the Titans scoring five more runs, ending the game with a final score of 7-2 over the Golden Arrows. Tucker had eight strikeouts. Long and Malone each had a stolen base and a run. Junior Callie Dickerson had a run, a RBI and a stolen base. Junior Morgan Burgess was 1-2 on the night with a RBI and a stolen base. 

“I was pleased with the way we ran the bases, our bunting and our pitching,” head coach Gary May said. “We will continue to work on everything, focusing on better at bats and better defense.”

The Lady Titans leave this Thursday for a five-game road trip in Tennessee, playing against Murfreesboro, Plainview, Rogers, Cascade and Carterville.