FRESHMAN SHINE IN 14-0 WIN OVER WREN HURRICANES
02/22/2011
The 2011 Mauldin Varsity Softball team travelled to Wren for their 4th pre-season contest against the 2008 4A state champion Golden Hurricanes. It began on a beautiful afternoon that became a brisk evening when the sun set on the pair of young teams on the diamond with legacies and traditions to uphold for their schools. Mauldin drew first blood in the top of the first, getting a walk and a steal from Brianna Davis, followed by an RBI single from Katelyn Wagers. Freshmen Dee Dee Sullivan and Emma Swearingen then hit back to back RBI doubles to post 3 runs for Mauldin before the third out was recorded in the first frame.
Freshman Amanda Storch held down her halves of the innings by tossing
7 more scoreless innings, striking out 11, walking none, and allowing only
a pair of hits - one each in the 3rd and 5th innings. On the occasions
that the a-train needed assistance, the defense was errorless, save a single wild pitch. Fine plays were turned in by Brianna Davis at third, Dana Landers at shortstop, Bria Barnhill at second base, and Mattie Tracy at first. Outstanding plays were made by Dee Dee Sullivan running down and snatching a tailing fly in the right field foul territory in the 4th inning, and by Bria Barnhill who sandwiched a diving theft of a single in the 3-4 hole between two other Barnhill to Tracy groundouts in the 7th inning.
The Lady Mavs scored in every top half of the inning except the 4th.
Dee Dee Sullivan led the attack with a 4 for 4 performance that included 3 doubles, 3 runs scored, a pair of RBIs, and a stolen base. Sophomore Brianna Davis added a double, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI to her first inning walk and score. Senior Captain Dana Landers had a run and 2 hits including a scorched triple down the third baseline in the 5th. Junior Bria Barnhill contributed 2 hits, a run, and 2 RBIs on a hustling double to right center in the 6th. The 15 hit and 14 run onslaught was also aided by hits and runs from Madison Tracy, Amanda Storch, Jessica Lyles, and Taylor Scott.
Next up for the undefeated and unscored upon defending 4A champions and 2011 #7 (?) State ranked 4A softball team is Palmetto High School on field #6 at Heritage Park Friday evening at 5:30 pm. Saturday the Lady Mavs will play Greenville Tech Charter at 9:00 am and Wade Hampton at noon to complete pool play in the Snowball Classic Tournament hosted by Southside Christian School. Bracket play will begin at 3:30 pm with Bracket finals played at 6:30 pm. Come support our 2011 Lady Mav Varsity softball team this weekend as they try to bring home the Gold and avenge one of only 3 losses suffered in the 2010 season and the only one outside of 4A Region 2 play (Chapin). Go Mavs !
Written by: Chuck Landers
LADY MAVS CONTINUE TO ROLL IN PRESEASON CONTESTS
02/19/2011
On a glorious Spring (?) day in mid-February, the Mauldin Maverick
2011 Varsity Softball team took a 45 minute busride North to Travelers
Rest to compete in a pre-season tri-team scrimmage against the Lady Bears of
Belton-Honea Path and the host Lady Devildogs of Travelers Rest High
School. The first 5 inning game of the tri-team scrimmage for the visiting
Lady Mavs was against the hosts in White, Royal and Gold and their stout
rigthanded pitcher #16. She would represent a good test for the young
defenders of the 2010 4A state championship as the first pitcher the Lady
Mavs have seen pushing the 55 mph speed limit in the 2011 campaign.
The Lady Mavs went down in order in the top of the first, as did the
Lady Devildogs to Freshman sensation Amanda Storch. The "A-Train" would
throw 5 scoreless innings in the contest, striking out 7, walking none,
and allowing only two hits in the 4th to the home team. It would be up to
the Mauldin offense to take this game, for Storch and the Lady Mav infield (
Davis, Landers, Barnhill, Tracy, and Wagers) were doing everything their
coach and team could want from them defensively - they were errorless, making all the routine plays...and one fantastic diving catch on a foul
behind the batter at the fence by 8th grader Katelyn Wagers in the 5th
inning. Offensively, in the top of the second, Katelyn Wagers led off with a> hit to right-center. Courtesy Runner Nikki Smith came on to run for the
catcher and promptly stole two bases. An out and two walks later (to
Nadine Hernandez and Mattie Tracy), Storch smashed a single through the
3-4 hole to score Smith. With two outs, Bria Barnhill spanked a single into right center to score Hernandez and the Lady Mavs had all the lead they
would need to clinch this contest at 2-0. Senior captain Dana Landers
singled and stole second in the third inning but wouldnt advance further.
Storch and Senior co-captain Jessica Lyles hit back to back singles in the
4th but were similarly left on base unrequited. Sophomore Brianna Davis walked in the 5th for the Lady Mavs, was moved to second on a hit and run
by Landers, and was driven home on a scorcher through the 5-6 hole hit by
Wagers to complete Mauldin's and the games scoring. A tight, but good win for the young Mauldin softballers 3-0.
Next up, with the scent of grilling burgers wafting in the crisp air, were the Lady Bears of Belton-Honea Path. Amanda Storch again toed the
rubber for the Lady mavs in White and Orange, who would be the home team
in this contest. After giving up a slap hit to the speedy lefthanded
lead-off batter for the Navy and White Bears, Storch struck out the next two
batters and induced a foul pop, handled at the fence by Brianna Davis to end the top of the first. In the bottom of the first, Mauldin wasted no time
putting runners on and moving them across the plate. With one out Davis
and Landers hit back to back singles, freshman Dee Dee Sullivan walked and
with bases loaded, Katelyn Wagers ripped a worm-burner down the third base
line to drive home the left side of the Mauldin infield and take a 2 run
lead. Freshman Emma Swearingen followed with an RBI single to
right-center scoring Sullivan. Nikki Smith, running for Wagers, scored on a dropped ball at first, and Swearingen completed the first inning scoring by crossing the plate when senior Christina Simms crunched a single into leftfield. Hits by Barnhill and Wagers, another walk to Sullivan, and RBIs from Landers, Wagers, and two by Sophomore Mattie Tracy on a screamer down the first
baseline resulted in 4 more 2nd inning runs for the Mauldin softballers.
The Lady Mavs would add two in the third when Davis rattled the
left-centerfield fence with a one out double, then Landers cleared the
same section of fence for a two run homer. Sullivan and Wagers also got hits
in the inning but were left stranded on the basepaths....but with the score
11-0 in favor of the defending 4A state champions, the noise and criticism
of the umpires from the visiting side subsided. The Beauties in White
and Orange would add 4 more runs in the 4th inning on singles by Storch,Tracy Freshman Taylor Scott and another double by Davis. Scott, Davis, and
Landers tallied RBIs in the 4th to puff the score to a gawdy 15-0, which
held as Storch struck out the side in the top of the 5th to end the game -
another 10 K shutout performance without a walk, allowing a paltry 2 hits
and stranding both runners South of third base in separate frames during 5
more innings of fine work for the young Mauldin Ace.
In all it was a beautiful day and a nice way to start the long
Presidents day weekend. The Lady Mavs have shown that they have are ready
to play in 2011 and can handle the best local 3A competition available.
Next up is a 4A test - the 2008 State Champion Wren Golden Hurricanes at
Wren on Tuesday evening at 6:00 pm. Go Mavs !
Written by: Chuck Landers
Lady Mavs Trounce Blue Ridge in Scrimmage Action
02/12/2011
The 2011 Defending 4A State Champion Lady Maverick Varsity Softball
team opened their 2011 campaign with a scrimmage on a Beautiful
mid-February Saturday afternoon on Mauldin's Clayton field against a young
3A Blue Ridge High School team. Freshman Amanda Storch toed the rubber
for
the Lady Mavs, establishing her dominance over the young players in Black
and red early and often. In 4 innings of shutout work, Storch struck out
10, gave up no hits and only one base on balls.
On the other side of the field the Lady Mavs scored 5 runs in the
bottom of the first, added 6 more runs in the second and 11 more in the
third inning. At the end of 4 innings, the score was 22-0 when Katelyn
Wagers doffed her catchers gear and took to the mound. The confident
blonde
proceeded to strike out 4, give up only one hit and one walk in 4
scoreless
innings of relief work to earn the save.
Coach Joseph Terry and the Lady Mavs tried to put the brakes on the
offense in the second half of the scrimmage, but the beauties in white and
orange continued to swing potent bats, stroking 8 more hits and plating 8
more runs over the last three innings. For the Mauldin softballers,
Senior
Captain Dana Landers drove in 7 runs in a 5 for 5 performance at the plate
that included a double and a homerun. Sophomore Brianna Davis had 2 hits,
two walks, and scored 5 times for the Lady Mavs. Freshman Nadine Hernandez
smashed a double to left in the third inning, scored twice and drove in 3
to lead a group of 7 Lady Mavs to have multiple hits, RBIs, and runs
scored
in the 2 hour scrimmage. The others were Amanda Storch 3-4, 3 runs, 2
RBIs, Landers, Davis, Bria Barnhill 2-5, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, Madison Tracy
2-6,
2 runs, 3 RBIs, and Emma Swearingen 2-5, 3 runs, 3 RBIs. Senior
Co-Captain
Jessica Lyles contributed 2 hits, a run, and an RBI to the cause while
catchers Katelyn Wagers and Dee Dee Sullivan each parlayed an RBI hit and
a
pair of walks to 3 Mauldin plate crossings apiece.
Mauldins Varsity Softballers did what they were supposed to do in the
opening scrimmage and looked good doing it. The youngsters from 3A Blue
Ridge were overmatched on this day and will doubtless work hard and
improve
throughout their season. The Lady Mavs can feel good about their hitting
performance but must also recognize that they werent tested Saturday and
will have to keep working hard to be ready for a brutal schedule of Region
play starting in early March. Next up for the Mauldin Varsity Softball
team is a three way (2 game) scrimmage at Wade Hampton next Saturday
against the Generals and the Bearcats of Belton - Honea Path beginning at
11:00 am. Go Mavs!
Written by: Chuck Landers
