The Lady Panthers softball team has
a 0-2 Region 3-AAA record and is 3-6 overall midway through the season after losing 8-0
at home Friday to No.1 ranked West Laurens.
During the last weekend of August, the squad lost 9-1 to Thomson. West Laurens has a 9-3 overall record and is 3-0 in the region, and Thomson is 11-2 and 2-0. Thomson is ranked No. 2 in the region with Richmond Hill, Baldwin Washington County, Liberty and Burke rounding out the list.
Lady Panther softball coach Jerome Standard said he knows the last two losses were dealt by the two best teams in the region. He said they share one thing in common.
"Thomson and West Laurens both have quality programs and good coaching and their kids are all involved in travel ball, and that is the key," he said. "You can’t play two and a half months out of the year and think you are going to be at the same quality or level of play those kids are at. They (West Laurens) have 15 kids who play travel ball and if we want to be in that caliber, our kids have to do the same thing.
Lady Panther Karen Donaldson managed one single against the Lady Raiders pitcher, who Standard said was well above average.
"She threw strikes and placed the ball exactly where she wanted to," the coach said. "She had good movement on her fast ball."
Standard said defensively, his team is still strong.
"The runs they got were earned runs and their hitting was in the double digits," he said. "We made two errors, which is not great, but acceptable for high school softball. They just hit and they hit well."
The coach said a lack of hits hurt his team against West Laurens and Thomson. Standard said they’ve been practicing hitting live pitches and using the machine.
"I think, at this point, it’s not a physical mechanic that we are dealing with. It’s more a mental aspect of the play," he said. "It’s when you step in that box knowing you are about to hit or wondering if you are going to hit it."
Standard said LCHS might face Thomson and West Laurens again toward the end of the season as the playoff tournaments determine who goes to the next level. For now, his focus is on the next region game this Friday in Burke County.