Tuesday, March 18th will be remembered as a day of firsts for local prep softball teams, including being the first time this season that all three local schools, Jonesboro-Hodge, Quitman and Weston won the same day.
Headlining the special day was Jonesboro-Hodge’s 22-6 victory over Arcadia which gave the Lady Tigers their first victory of the season and first year head coach, Geneice Levingston, her first career coaching victory. What makes it even more special it came on the first game played on the Lady Tigers home field this season.
It was a special day at Weston High School as well as the Lady Wolves celebrated their first victory on their newly renovated on-campus softball field by thrashing Doyline 15-5. The impressive victory also marked the first district 1B win of the year and snapped a seven game losing streak.
Finally at Quitman, with their 9-1 victory over Castor, the Lady Wolverines also won their first district 1B game of the year and improved their season best winning streak to six games. The victory also established QHS as the first 10-win girls team in Jackson Parish and strengthened their control on the top ranking in Class B.
Jonesboro-Hodge 22 Arcadia 6: Ma’Riyah Jones, Kynnedi Aaron and Alaina Ashcraft all stole home after reaching on walks to give JHHS an early 3-1 lead, and then the Lady Tigers broke the game open late with a flurry of runs to win their first 1-1A contest of the year. With the victory the Lady Tigers improved to 1-4 on the year and 1-1 in district 1-1A play. Arcadia fell to 0-2 in district play and overall.
Quitman 9 Castor 1: Holding a slim 4-0 lead over a spunky Castor team, the Lady Wolverines exploded for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs to win going away. The big inning began with Kinsley Ponder and Maggie Guyotte getting two out singles followed by Cali Deal and Hallie Kate Pullig smashing back to back doubles. A single by Anna Leach, another double from the bat of Karley Huckaby and the fourth single of the inning by Zoee Williams followed. The Lady Wolverines took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Guyotte walked and scored on a Deal triple. Quitman took a 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the fourth on back-to-back singles by Huckaby and Williams and then doubled the advantage the next innings when Deal reached on an error, Pullig and Leach singled and Huckaby reached on the second Castor miscue of the frame. Quitman improved to 10-1 overall and 1-0 in District 1B play while Castor fell to 7-4 and 1-1.
Weston 15 Doyline 5: An eight run outburst in the bottom of the fifth broke open a 5-4 game leading to Weston’s first district 1B win of the year. Carly Jo Griffin, who ended up just a single short of the coveted “cycle” got the big inning started by becoming the first Weston player to hit a home run in the new park. Then with two outs, Weston poured it on as Teegan Hall tripled, Gracie Gray walked, Penelope Ferguson doubled, Anslee Aldy walked, both Carlynn Waters and Davynee Bearden singled and Griffin hit another triple. After spotting Doyline an early 1-0 lead, Weston tied it in the bottom of the first when Bearden walked and Griffin doubled. Down 3-1, Weston rallied to take a 5-3 lead as Waters, Bearden, and Griffin walked followed by a Rachel Bandy double and a Brylee Cuthrell sacrifice grounder. Tessa Reeves hit a single to score Hall in the bottom of the sixth before Hailey Chatham, who had walked scored the game ending run. Weston now stands at 4-7 overall and 1-1 in district 1B while Doyline dropped to 3-4 and 0-2.