Energy fades in Perry’s loss to Veterans

KATHLEEN — At one point it looked like Perry would run away with it, but the bats froze up and Veterans snuck back in during a fifth inning surge.

The Lady Warhawks (2-0) took the first of two games on Tuesday in a 5-4 final.

Here are three observations from the game:

PHOTOS: See more shots from Tuesday’s contest.

1. Energy is everything, and the Lady Panthers didn’t have enough

First year Perry coach Ally Clegg is big on energy. It’s something the Lady Panthers (2-1) had in their two-game drubbing of Schley last week but couldn’t muster at the end of Tuesday.

“I’m really big on energy, I feel like energy is everything. We came out with [it in] our first two wins…today I didn’t see the same energy,” Clegg said. “I didn’t see the intensity, the grit, the fight. Don’t get me wrong, they always fight, but there was just something missing tonight.”

Even when Veterans starting pitcher Caidence Scott was pounding the zone in the first inning, Anna Dean stayed alive before advancing a runner to third, which allowed Mackenzie Crumley to bring home a run on a ground ball during the next at-bat.

The energy climaxed in the third inning when Scott struggled to find the zone, and gave up two of her three walks. 

With the bases loaded Rachel Harrell hit a fly out to left field, but Dean scored and Addison Sisa shortly followed after an error at shortstop to put Perry up 4-2.

The Lady Panthers only sent out three batters in the remaining four innings.

2. One, two, three strikes you’re out

Everyone is familiar with the saying that essentially means, you’ve got three chances with something before you’re done.

Well, Perry was caught stealing a base three times on Tuesday, and it cost them.

Nyah Thomas was caught stealing twice, and Kamryn Fielder was caught once.

Two of those outs were in Scott’s worst innings, the second and the third. Fielder and Thomas were unnecessarily aggressive with other runners on.

Preceding Fielder’s out the Lady Panthers got runners on base from a hit-by-pitch and a walk, and had just taken a 2-1 lead.

In the third Perry had just retaken a 4-2 lead, with two runners on. Thomas attempted to steal home and ended the inning.

The final out was another by Thomas in the top of the sixth, just after a fly out.

It’s proven that the best teams in softball and baseball move runners without hitting the ball. Stealing bags is what the best teams do. Perry did steal three bases — two by Rachel Driver and one by Fielder — but the Lady Panthers will have to walk a fine line between strategic and unnecessarily aggressive.

3. Emma Rose Wood gave the Lady Panthers a shot

Rayven Hodridge smashed a solo home run during the first at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning, slimming Perry’s lead to one.

Braylon Horton pulled a single down the left field line, and an error at shortstop put another runner on.

Katelyn Haines dropped a RBI double in the bucket tie it at four before they pulled their starter and went with Emma Rose Wood for the final 1.2 innings.

Wood inherited two runners, and one did score to take the 5-4 lead, but in the sixth inning she gave the Lady Panthers a chance.

Wood was hitting the outside of the zone. If she didn’t get strikes, her positioning of the ball made it likely that the hitter pulled the ball to third base or shortstop, where her defense could make a play.

The first at-bat resulted in a pop up to foul territory, tracked down by Dean. The second at-bat, Kalleigh Stokes got two strikes looking before grounding out to short stop.

For the final at-bat Wood recorded her one and only strikeout to give Perry hope.

The offense couldn’t get it done in the top of the seventh, but Clegg was very pleased with Wood’s performance regardless.

“I’m really proud of how she came in,” Clegg said. “I gave her a chance to go out there and she did what she had to do. She handled business, and she wasn’t scared. She was ready to go out there. That’s what I like to see.”

UP NEXT

The Lady Panthers are back in action on Wednesday as they travel to Jones County at 6:30 p.m.

The Lady Warhawks get a day off before hosting ACE on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.