By T. Scott Boatright
In a game between mirror-like teams, it is often the little things that end up being the difference between a win and a loss.
And that is the way things played out on Tuesday night between Simsboro and Choudrant as the Lady Aggies escaped with a 9-4 win in a hard-fought game for both teams on the SHS softball field.
Choudrant’s consistency played a crucial role in the Lady Aggies win, as they played errorless ball while scoring at least one run in each of the first five innings.
“We’re a lot like them and they’re a lot like us,” said Lady Tigers coach Payton Bond. “We are neck-and-neck with them. We are a young team and have experienced some growing pains this year. And a lot of growing opportunities. Losing (pitcher Carlie Wheeler, now playing for LSU-Eunice, and catcher Jacoya Lewis) last year was big, so we knew going into the year we were going to have to learn how to play without them.
“But we have played several close ballgames this year. I think we have played two one-run games that were close, and two two-run games that were close. We have been in several games later. Even in that game we just played against Choudrant, it did not feel like we were ever out of it. We had runners in scoring position a couple of innings that we could not push across. Overall, we played well defensively except for a couple of errors that came at tough times.”
Choudrant pitcher Addison Worley was a key force in the Lady Aggies’ win, striking out 14 Lady Tigers in the complete seven-inning win while giving up 10 hits.
Worley recorded three strikeouts during Simsboro’s final chances at bat, with Lady Aggies coach Stacy Tassin saying she never considered pulling Worley after she gave up two runs off three hits in the bottom of the sixth inning as temperatures began getting brisk.
“That’s not a worry for her,” Tassin said. “Neither the situation — whether it was time for her to retire the side for the win or the fact it was getting colder. She can handle those kinds of things. If she couldn’t she would tell you.”
Choudrant scored one run off in each of the first three innings before Simsboro cut the Lady Aggies’ lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third on an RBI-single by Kailee Hamilton that scored left fielder Brooklyn Boyd.
The Lady Aggies added two more runs in the top of the fourth before Simsboro added another run in the bottom half of that stanza to cut Choudrant’s advantage to 5-2.
But then Choudrant took control in the top of the fifth inning, scoring four runs off three hits with a pair of Simsboro errors proving costly for the Lady Tigers.
“I think we played decent,” Tassin said. “We played pretty good. We could have hit the ball more than we did. We manufacture runs. We did a little bunting, a little stealing and that helped us get the win.”
The win pushed the Lady Aggies to 5-13 on the year.
“We’ve struggled this season,” Tassin said. “We are young. We are just getting better game by game as we gain experience.”
As he looks for ways to overcome the loss of a standout like Wheeler, Bond said he is proud of the fact his Lady Tigers, who now stand at 4-11, have three pitchers they can use.
“We played all three tonight,” Bond said. “They all did a good job and threw outs. If we only got a couple of things that did not go our way at the play to happen, then it would have been a lot closer game than it ended up being. But we are young and growing and we have a lot to look forward to this year. There is still a lot of season left to get better in. It feels like we are starting to get a feel for things. I am getting better about knowing when to make changes on the rubber.”
