Concerns centered around the possibility of stormy weather forced Monday’s softball game at Indian Creek to begin nine minutes ahead of the scheduled first pitch.
Sixteen minutes in, there was a delay anyway.
The host Braves weren’t deterred, battling through a 58-minute lightning delay to lay a convincing 16-0 shutout on Franklin in a game called after five innings due to the 10-run rule.
Now 3-3 on the season, Indian Creek hosts conference rival Edgewood today.
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Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“We’ve dropped our chin on a couple of games before this. Games we should have won,” Braves coach Gary Mitchell said. “I think they had something to prove tonight.
“They came out and weren’t going to let up. We’ve had leads in games that we should’ve taken to the house, and we didn’t do that before. They came out tonight with some intensity.”
Indian Creek already led 3-0 by the time the southwest skies darkened and play was halted.
Junior Kasey Wilhoit led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk. She stole second and advanced to third base on Rachel Kyle’s groundout.
Sydney Logsdon then delivered a single to right field to bring Wilhoite home. Cleanup hitter Dori Knight stroked a single to left — the first of her three base hits as the senior first baseman also produced a double and another single.
“I think I had my confidence back from my ACL tear (last season), and I was ready to come out and get this game,” Knight said. “Like our coach said, we’ve been hitting, but we’ve let up.
“I wasn’t going to let that happen tonight, so I did the best that I can do, and the Lord gave me the ability to do that. So I did that.”
Indian Creek, which pounded out 13 base hits, sent 12 hitters to the plate in the bottom of the second frame. The result was nine more runs, making it a 12-0 score.
Freshman Jacqui Button pitched the first three innings to notch the win, allowing only a bunt single by Grizzly Cubs freshman Emma Rutan in the process. Logsdon pitched the fourth and fifth innings for the Braves, surrendering no hits and recording the game’s only two strikeouts to end the game.
Mitchell hopes to see this same intensity level from his players this afternoon against the Mustangs, and for every game that follows.
“It’s definitely a step in the right direction. We’re starting a little foundation with a win against a good county foe,” he said. “It’s just a matter of playing hard and building from this.”
