FREDERICKTOWN — The Perryville Lady Pirates got their softball season off to a promising start Saturday, picking up a win and gaining valuable experience during a three-game day at the Fredericktown Tournament.
Perryville opened the tournament with a 9-5 victory over DeSoto before falling to Doniphan and host Fredericktown to finish the day 1-2.
Despite the two losses, head coach Jim Simpson said there were plenty of positives to take from the season-opening tournament.
“It’s a great start to the season,” Simpson said. “We hit the ball well, we didn’t give any extra outs to the opponents. It was just a great day.”
Perryville’s first game provided an especially strong start.
The Lady Pirates scored 9 runs on 13 hits in the 9-5 victory over DeSoto. Ava Robles went 3-for-3 with 3 runs scored, 3 hits and 2 RBI, while Nora Cowell also had 3 hits and scored twice.
Lilly Cowell added 2 hits and scored twice, while Adriana Robles drove in a run and Olivia Difani, Adysin Vernon and Calie Cattoor also contributed hits.
Lilly Cowell also handled the pitching duties, throwing all 5 innings. She allowed 5 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 12 and walking 2.
The win marked an important step for a Perryville program that had not previously advanced beyond pool play at the Fredericktown event, Simpson said.
The Lady Pirates then faced a strong Doniphan squad and were shut out 16-0.
The Donettes produced a strong offensive showing against Perryville’s freshman starter.
“She threw strikes,” Simpson said, “and they just hit the crap out of it. We didn’t give them anything.”
The Lady Pirates closed the tournament against Fredericktown and nearly pulled off another victory.
Perryville took a 3-0 lead through three innings before Fredericktown erupted for 8 runs in the fourth. The Lady Pirates responded by shutting down the Blackcats over the final two innings, but could not overcome the one big inning and fell 8-4.
Simpson said fatigue became a factor, particularly after Perryville’s No. 1 pitcher had worked the entire DeSoto game earlier in the day.
“We just kind of ran out of gas,” Simpson said.
The experience was particularly valuable for a young Perryville roster. Simpson said five starters had never played as many games in one day. The starting lineup includes five juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen.
“We’re still really young,” Simpson said. “I’m just ecstatic. It’s so much fun watching these kids grow. We’re growing by leaps and bounds.”
The Lady Pirates had little time to rest with a doubleheader scheduled Tuesday against East Carter and Cape Central.
“It is going to be a really good year,” Simpson said.
