Sweetwater had been searching for an error-free game all season.
The moment came Monday night, when Sweetwater’s defense was clean from start to finish, leading the Lady Wildcats to an 11-1 come-from-behind win over Polk County in five innings.
“When we play clean, we win. I moved the defense around a little bit tonight and gave some people some shots,” Sweetwater coach Sarah Davies said. “I am satisfied with the outcome. Our starting lineup is going to look different almost every night.”
Sweetwater played 15 of its 16 players.
“It is a team effort, whether it be running bases or stepping up and getting a hit. They contributed and they see it takes all of them to do that,” she said.
Moving things around in the infield saw the Lady Wildcats mix up looks. Lilly Woodruff took over at shortstop with Danielle Jones sliding to second base.
“(Lilly) is such a presence over there. She is long, quick and has a strong softball IQ,” Davies said.
Maddy Baylog returned to first base while Brooklyn Alexander and freshman Andrea Jones split time at third base.
“They both looked pretty good. We have had a rough time on that corner,” Davies said.
Vestal showcased off the bench, notching a hit and turning a play on the bag defensively.
“Our bench is looking pretty good,” Davies added.
The Lady Wildcats (3-8; 2-2) had success offensively. Sweetwater exploded for five runs in the top of the second and added three more in the fourth and the fifth each.
Polk County nearly escaped the second frame before Sweetwater could strike. Two outs sandwiched by a pair of walks put pressure on Sweetwater’s offense.
Opportunistic, Shanea Jewell scored on a passed ball for the tying run. Ella Morgan delivered later in the at-bat, knocking a ball to second base and reaching on an error that allowed Maddy Sewell and Andrea Jones to score.
Sweetwater went ahead 3-1 in one at-bat. The Lady Wildcats’ experienced players followed up by delivering. Danielle Jones singled to move runners along and Lilly Woodruff’s RBI-hit brought home Keilie Matoy.
Tori Thompson’s grounder scored Danielle Jones two batters later.
The Lady Wildcats added six runs later off three hits. Danielle Jones scored on a wild pitch in the fourth inning. Woodruff and Maddy Baylog added runs in the next at-bat, both scoring off the same wild pitch.
Thompson found a big swing in the next inning. Ahead 10-1, Thompson’s line drive into center field saw her reach third base and score Danielle Jones and Woodruff.
“We needed it tonight. We have been struggling and playing good teams. We had a stretch where we were getting down on ourselves,” Davies said. “We need to take this win here and keep the momentum going. We had to get some confidence tonight and I think we did.”
Danielle Jones, Morgan, Kylee Richeson, Thompson and Woodruff all notched hits on the day. Polk was credited with seven errors.
On the mound, Morgan excelled in her first extended performance of the season. The senior struck out seven batters and allowed two hits in the win.
“I think this gives her confidence. She has been our second-highest batting average and has been instrumental from the plate,” Davies said. “She is not going to overpower people from the mound, but she keeps it low and does what she is supposed to do.”
Woodruff has pitched 87% of Sweetwater’s innings this season.
“Lilly is just a freshman and she is finding her way and doing a great job. But I think that one-two combination between them (Woodruff and Morgan) is going to be the way moving forward,” Davies added.
Sweetwater faces Knoxville Catholic twice this week with a District 3-2A clash against Tellico Plains in the middle.
“We have been struggling from the plate and have been working to get that going,” Davies said. “I think we found some slump-busting hits to give these kids some more confidence going into the week. Hopefully, we can keep that going.”
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