Lady Cougars softball team is on the rise

The York Comprehensive High School girls’ softball team is making its presence felt in early Region 3-AAAA play and in games out of the region.

The upstart Cougars defeated Gaffney and South Pointe last week in back-to-back games.

In a 4-3 region win against Gaffney, sophomore catcher Madeline Davis continued an early-season hitting spree.

Gaffney built an early lead on a three-run homer and appeared to be coasting, but Davis belted a dramatic three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the score.

In the bottom of the sixth, junior Kirsten Loftin drove home the winning run with an RBI double.

Loftin was 3-for-4 against Gaffney, including the game-winning double. Davis was 2-for-2, highlighted by the big three-run homer.

Winning pitcher Taylor Wilkerson also was 1-for-3 at the plate.

Sam Van Camp, Destini Love and Meg McGarity scored runs for York.

Riding the momentum of the win against highly-regarded Gaffney, the Cougars stepped out of region play to defeat South Pointe 7-4 at home March 18.

“We’ve had two good wins this week,” said York head coach Susan Lee Ballard after the win against South Pointe.

Though she wasn’t pleased with the team’s hitting until the latter stages of the game, Ballard said, she was glad to get the win. “I expected better hitting today,” Ballard said.

A late-inning defensive play by centerfielder Loftin forced a runner at second base with a perfect throw. “I was pleased to see that,” Ballard said. “We needed a play in that situation.”

Ballard said Davis, a sophomore catcher, has had a good eye at the plate early in the season.

“Madeline is hitting the ball,” she said. “She’s doing well.”

Davis said she wasn’t fooled by the pitch she hit out of the park against Gaffney. “I’m pretty sure it was an inside pitch,” she said.

“I relax when I step to the plate and try to go with the pitches,” she said. “I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself. I’m pretty confident. I let the game come to me.”

Davis appears confident when she steps to the plate, as well as when she occupies the position behind the plate.

She calls the pitches during the game, a heavy burden for a sophomore catcher playing 4A softball.

“We’ve got to really work on our spots,” Davis said of junior pitchers Taylor Wilkerson and Brittany Ervin and freshman pitcher Sydney Phillips.

“I’ve got to get the pitchers going and having them hitting their spots,” she said. “I call the pitches. That’s why I talk about hitting spots.”

Davis said she also reaps the benefits of playing a lot of travel ball. “I feel like playing all of the time helps my game,” she said. “I get to see a lot of different things. I’m used to a lot of it.”

Davis said there are better days ahead. “We’re improving,” she said. “We’ll just have to keep working hard.”

Ballard also noted Brittany Ervin’s pitching stint against South Pointe. “Brittany did a good job on the mound tonight,” she said.

Ballard said the Cougars pitched well in the preseason, and she’s looking for more of the same as the season progresses.

“We get the pitching going again, I’ll feel pretty good about it,” she said

Ballard also wants to see the bats come alive, she said. “We’re gonna have to hit the ball with people on base and score, obviously,” she said. “Hopefully we can keep the bats going. That’s going to be a key for us.”

Davis had another big day at the plate against South Pointe, with two hits in three at bats, a run scored and three RBIs. Destini Love was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

Dequizha Love had a hit in three at-bats and drove in two runs.

Loftin, VanCamp and Ervin each hit safely and scored a run. Cayla Campbell and Meghan Sutphin hit safely, and Makala Love scored a run.

The Lady Cougars return to Region 3-AAAA play March 26, hosting Rock Hill at 7 p.m. at the YCHS softball complex.

This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Lady Cougars softball team is on the rise."