Clarendon Hall softball team trying to get into gear

            Summerton – This has been a different start of the season for the Clarendon Hall softball team because of a different finish to the season for the school’s girls basketball team.

            With the basketball team playing for a state championship game for the first time in 50 years and most of the players being on both teams, softball was put on the back burner. That meant hardly any practice time, much less scrimmages and preseason tournaments, for the 2-time defending state champion Lady Saints before the season started.

            Not only that, Clarendon Hall has had to take extended time off between games because of a senior class trip and spring break.

            “It’s been really hard not getting the scrimmages and the tournaments in, then having to take two trips,” said CH head coach Jeffrey Bays. “We started late, then we had to start all over again and we’ll have to start over again one more time. We’ll see how it goes.”

           The Lady Saints still got off to a 7-1 overall start and a 4-0 start in Region 1-AA. Bays said he is happy to have such a hard-working group of players.

           “To be honest, I don't have to work hard to keep them focused,” he said. “This core group have been playing ball together since they were fifth- or sixth-graders, and they’ve gelled together. It makes coaching easy. It’s not difficult to get them pulled back in.”

          The Lady Saints return the entire starting lineup from last year’s 17-7 team except for Olivia Wilson. Her replacement is eighth-grader Brynli Brewer, who is playing third and batting leadoff. Standout junior shortstop Mandy Wells is batting second followed by junior centerfielder Maggie Harrington.

         Junior Callie Yount and senior Collen McIntosh pitch and play left while filling the 4 and 5 holes. Senior second baseman Sidney Berry bats sixth, senior first baseman Lacey Corbett seventh and junior catcher Skylar Dymond eighth.

         Seniors Macie McIntosh and Ashley Timmons split time in right while filling the 9 hole.

         Harrington was leading in hitting with a .556 batting average while Brewer was at .529. Yount was at .467, Wells .438, Colleen McIntosh .412, Berry .375, Macie McIntosh .300, Corbett .250, Dymond .235 and Timmons .200.

         Berry, Yount, Wells and Harrington were each an All-Region selection last season.

         Yount and Colleen McIntosh had a combined 54 strikeouts against just nine walks in 28 innings pitched this season.

         The remainder of the roster includes juniors Ashlie Berry, Brooke Corbett, Ava Cribb and Ashlynn Etheredge and sophomore Kelsie Martin.

         Bays said his team has struggled defensively in the early going, but he believes that will be taken care of the more it plays.

         “The longer they play, the more they’ll sharpen up,” he said. “They'll peak at the the right time.”

         CH BASEBALL OFF TO GOOD START

         The Clarendon Hall baseball team split its first six games, but was 3-1 in region play.

         Head coach Todd Larrimer is happy with how his pitching staff has performed.

         “I feel like our pitching showed up a little faster than expected,” Larrimer said. “Our pitching has been good enough to win every game we’ve played.”

           Joey Hatchel, Cale Reynolds, Ian Ridgeway and Cole Richburg logged most of the early innings.

           As far as the offense goes, Larrimer has a pretty set batting order through the sixth spot. Hatchel bats leadoff and had a .381 on-base percentage. Ridgeway bats second with a .278 batting average and a .409 OBP while Karson Fields (.188 BA, 409 OB) is third.

           Bryce Jordan is in the cleanup slot with a .400 average. Reynolds was batting .235 in the 5 hole and Wilder Robinson was at .350 batting sixth.

           “We need to produce a little more offensively,” Larrimer said. “We’re hoping to really start hitting our stride.

           “Last year our arms kept us in a lot of games. Our goal in the offseason was to get the bats rolling a little quicker. We need to continue to improve in our situational hitting.”

           Larrimer likes his defense with Reynolds mainly at shortstop, Ridgeway at second base and short, Kole Elliott in center field, Robinson catching, Fields at third, Hatchel in left and Jordan at first.