Northeast, Southwest clash to open their softball seasons, plus other softball scores

The Northeast and Southwest softball teams officially began their seasons Tuesday afternoon, as the Raiders snagged a big home win over the Patriots, 17-1.

Northwest head coach Ashley Johnson praised her entire team after the resounding opening day win, which puts the Raiders in a good 1-0 spot heading into a more difficult portion of their early schedule.

“Opening game, you’re kinda nervous, we had a couple new players, but we made it happen,” Johnson said. “My players really showed up and showed out today, and that’s what I needed to see from them. We still have some learning to do for our new players, but we did what we needed to do.”

Katilyn Deshazer pitched with precision and power throughout the contest, striking out the side multiple times and giving up no earned runs. The only Patriots score of the game crossed the plate in the top of the first.

“I’m happy that she did what she needed to do on the mound, and she got a hit as well, so I’m glad she did well today,” Johnson said of Deshazer. “I also want to shout out my catcher (Melanie Riggins), she’s usually our shortstop. We needed someone to play at catcher, and she volunteered to get that done. The bond between catcher and pitcher is really important, and she did a great job in a pinch for us.

On the offensive side, the Raiders scored many of their runs thanks to timely baserunning, aided by some wild pitches from Southwest.

“It’s funny, we have different signals… I’m kind of very reactive as the third base coach, so when the girls see me moving around and bouncing over there, they know it’s time to move. They watched me today,” Johnson said.

Southwest fought hard, but fielded an inexperienced team consisting of mostly freshmen. Head coach Courtiney Jones said they still have a lot to learn, but that the opening game had positives.

“It’s like I told my girls, it’s a learning experience. We had a conversation before the game that no matter how it turns out, they can learn something and I can learn something, whether we win or lose,” Jones said. “Standing in the dugout, what I do is observe. I’m working, I’m coaching and planning, but I’m also watching so I can take it back to the field and we can work on what we need to work on.”

It was most of the Patriot players’ first time taking the field in a varsity game, Jones said. That included starting pitcher Deja Preston and one of their catchers, Delayia Jones. It showed on the field — there were some wild pitches, along with errors throwing, covering bases and fielding grounders.

“For a lot of them, being 9th graders, it’s their first time doing this, and some of them aren’t even softball players. It’s their first time playing at all, and I want to give them credit for that,” Jones said. “I’m very proud of them. I think we’ll only get better from here.”

Preston had issues finding the strike zone, but she pitched the entire contest for Southwest. Delayia Jones came in at catcher in the second inning and made some impressive throws to bases, though the Raiders kept getting steals.

“I’m very proud of my pitcher and my catcher. Neither of them had played those spots before, that was her first game pitching, and she handled it well,” Jones said of her pitcher. “It’s a learning experience going forward.”

Both teams will look ahead to region games as their schedules continue.

Other Bibb County Scores

Saturday, Aug. 10

• Northside 18, Howard 11

• Peach County 11, Howard 1

• Tattnall 8, Walnut Grove 4

• Tattnall 14, George Walton 6

Monday, Aug. 12

• Stratford 15, Tiftarea Academy 0

Tuesday, Aug. 13

• Northeast 17, Southwest 1

• Central 22, Westside 1

• Peach County 14, Rutland 0

• FPD 18, Howard 0

• Stratford 9, Loganville Christian 1

• CFCA 12, Heritage 4

• Georgia Military 15, Covenant Academy 0

Wednesday, Aug. 14

• Hawkinsville 10, Howard 0

• Crawford County 11, Rutland 4