If you wonder what has led to Quitman and Weston High School’s success in recent years on the baseball and softball diamonds, it traces back to the players’ beginnings in junior high school. As in the past, the future local boys and girls of varsity spring baseball and softball are once again tearing it up in the junior high “Fall Ball” season, building confidence that the future is bright for the two Jackson Parish schools.
Four of the six teams playing are undefeated, and none have a losing record so far, with both the Quitman Junior High “blue” and “gold” baseball teams leading the way at 3-0. Weston Junior High Softball and the QJH “B” team check in next with a 2-0 record, while the QJH softball “A” team is 2-1 and the WJH baseball is at 2-2 so far this season.
Monday, October 5
Quitman “Blue” 11 Saline 0 (baseball): Luke Davis, Asher Norred, Jake Moak, and Maddox Graham each pitched one inning, combining for a sparkling one-hit shutout in which they struck out nine. Offensively, Jaxon Culpepper led the six-hit attack with a home run and a double, while Jackson Ables added a double. After also coaxing 8 free passes, the Wolverines ran wild on the bases with Grayson Kinman, Davis, and Shepard Norred swiping two bases each and Aiden Reed, Asher Norred, Jase Reed, Graham, and Ryder Pardue stealing a base each.
Quitman “Gold” 12 Saline 1 (baseball): The Wolverines scored 3 runs in each of the four innings played with Bentley Ponder smashing a home run and Carter Kelley (3 SB, 2 BB), Koplen Taylor (4 SB, BB), Andrew Seymore (3 SB, 2 BB), Asher Cooper (RBI, BB, SB), and Sutton Vail (3 SB, 2 BB), all scoring twice. Clay Burton (2 SB, RS, 2 RBI, BB), added a hit. Taylor, Vail, Seymore and Cooper all pitched one inning hit combining to limit Saline to just 2 hits and 1 unearned run.
Quitman 13 Evangel Middle School 4 (softball): The junior Lady Wolverines scored in every inning to take the easy victory over their Shreveport-based foe. QJH had 21 players reach base, 9 by hits and 12 from free passes, with Elliot Savage (3B, 2 RS, 2 RBI), Charlea Jones (3 RBI, HBP), and Ellie Shultz (2B, RS, RBI) leading the way with 2 hits each. Brelaina Hall (2B, 2 RS, RBI, 2 BB), Isabella Autry (2B, 2 RS, RBI, HBP), and Maddie Spillman (2 RBI) added a hit while Emma Gray (3 BB), Adleigh Cooper (BB), Raegan Bell (RS, RBI, BB, HBP), Mez’Meri Walker (RS, BB), and Charley Linton (RS, HBP) all scored a run.
Tuesday, October 6
Quitman “B” 6 Choudrant 2 (softball): Ellie Shultz struck out 7 and gave up only 2 runs in her first start of the year, while also getting a hit and scoring a run; Kaylee Hammons got a hit and scored; and Abi Sullivan got a hit and knocked a run in. Charlea Jones scored and knocked in two, and Karlee Altheimer, Aria Dodson, and Mez’Meri Walker all scored a run.
Choudrant 11, Quitman “A” 9 (softball): Both teams lit the scoreboard up, with each scoring three runs in three innings; the difference was a 2-run second inning by Choudrant. The Lady Wolverines got only 5 hits but had 13 players reach via walk or hit-by-pitch, with Charley Linton (RBI, BB) getting the only extra-base hit with a double. Elliot Savage (RBI), Brelaina Hall (2 RS, RBI, 2 BB, SB), Ryleigh McCormick (RS, 2 RBI, BB, HBP), and Charlei Jones (RS, RBI, BB) all got a hit each. Isabella Autry walked twice and scored two runs and Emma Gray (BB, SB), Reagan Bell (2 RBI, 2 BB), and Ellie Shultz (RBI, 2 BB), all scored a run.
Weston 17 Calvin 3 (softball): After lighting the scoreboard up for 20 runs in the season opener last Friday, the Lady Wolves stayed hot, with 17 more, scoring 5 runs in each of the last three innings. Hannah Aldy (2 RS, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB), Miriam Shuler (2B, 3 RS, 2 RBI, SB), and Kylee-Anyn Wyatt (2 RS, 3 RBI, SB) led the 11-hit attack with two hits each. Ryan Kate Wyatt (2B, RS, RBI), who got the win after two innings of no-hit ball, Brooklyn Keiffer (RS, RBI), Ryleigh Puffer (RS, SB), Raylie Hall (RS, RBI), and Leah Atkins (RS, 2 RBI) all got a hit apiece. Autumn Kohler (2 BB, HBP) scored 3 runs and Ashlyn Petre (BB, HBP, SB) scored twice.
Upcoming Games:
Thursday, October 8
QJH “Gold” vs Calvin (baseball) – 4:30 pm
QJH “Blue” vs Calvin (baseball) – 6:00 pm
WJH at Choudrant (baseball) – 5:00 pm
WJH at Quitman (softball) – 5:00 pm