Lady Cougars Roll In Season Opener

Lady Cougars Down Patrick Henry
By David Gravely

The bats were hot and the defense looks tough as the Pulaski County Lady Cougars started their 2012 season off with a commanding 10-2 win over the visiting Patrick Henry Lady Patriots on Wednesday in Dublin.

"We're pretty happy with what we saw today" said Head Coach Gina Miano. "We hit the ball well, and played solid defense. It was a great overall team performance. Our older players did what they were supposed to do, and we got some nice surprises from a few of our younger players as well. They all really stepped it up today and did a great job."

The Lady Cougars came out of the gate hot, shutting Patrick Henry down in the top of the first. Once they came to the plate, the momentum continued when lead off batter Jordan Chrisley got things started with a double. Carli Brewer hit a single, moving Chrisley to third, and then stole second base to put two runners in scoring position. Brooke Hundley hit an RBI single to score Chrisley and move Brewer to third, and then Sara Wright stepped in to hit a two RBI single to score both Brewer and Hundley. With one out on the board, Kelly Duncan hit a sacrifice bunt to move Wright to second, but the next two batters struck out to end the inning with Pulaski up 3-0.
Pulaski would again shut down Patrick Henry in the top of the second inning, and then Jordan Chrisley added her second run of the game off of a hit followed by a Patrick Henry error. The third inning was scoreless for both teams, leaving the Lady Cougars up 4-0 going into the fourth.

Solid pitching from senior Kaitlin Smith, along with solid defense from the rest of the team, left the Lady Patriots again unable to put anything on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning. Pulaski came back up to bat, but two quick outs put them in a hole early. Chrisley got things going again with a triple hit to deep left center field, and after being hit by a pitch Brewer stole second to again put Pulaski in a good position. Hundley crushed a two RBI double to score Chrisley and Brewer, and then Sara Wright hit another single to score Hundley. Good base running by Wright allowed her to get to third base on Kelly Duncans single, and then Duncan stole second. As Duncan was stealing second, Wright made a quick move and was able to steal home, giving Pulaski it's fourth run of the inning and an 8-0 lead.

The fifth inning found the Lady Cougars with a new pitcher on the mound, as freshman Callie Gregory came in to relieve Smith. In her first inning as a varsity pitcher, she faced five batters and allowed one run on two hits, but her second inning is the one she will remember the most. A pop fly gave her the first out, and a solid effort gave her the first strike out of her Lady Cougar career. The third batter connected with the ball, hitting a line drive directly back at her, hitting her just above the knee at full speed. While she did come out of the game to get some much needed ice, the promising freshman did come back out without issues for the handshake at the end of the game.

The Lady Cougars and Lady Patriots would each go on to add two runs as the backups came into the game, and the contest would end with Pulaski getting the 10-2 win.

"We've still got some injuries we're trying to get healed up, but I thought our younger players really did a good job stepping in tonight" said Miano. "Before the game the girls were excited instead of nervous. During the game, they reacted like veterans and like they had been there before. There was alot of enthusiasm throughout the game, and we backed each other up. Those are all really good signs of things to come. They've worked really hard, and we had a really good last two practices. Coach Vern had the pitchers ready, and Coach Brewer did a great job having the batters ready. I think we're on the right path."

The Lady Cougars will be back in action on Friday, as they host Floyd at the Lady Cougar Softball Field at 5 pm. "We haven't beaten Floyd before. They are a tough program, so this will tell us exactly where we are. I think this team is looking forward to the challenge."