Coaches tend to find out a lot about their teams early in the season. Such
was the case last weekend with Dawson County High School Head Softball Coach Jimmy Pruett and his team.
The Lady Tigers competed in Gainesville at the Lanier Point Invitational
Tournament hosted by Gainesville High School and the Gainesville Parks and Recreation Department.
Pruett and his team were very impressive, winning their first four games before dropping their last two games to capture fourth place in the Gold Division, top division.
“We played well in the first four games,” said Pruett. “We ran out of gas tonight and it affected us defensively.”
The Lady Tigers picked up wins on Friday night, 4-3 over Fannin County and 13-3 against Holy Innocence.
Early Saturday morning, Dawson pitcher Sydney Cox was spectacular with a 6-0 win over Gainesville High School.
The Lady Tigers picked up another win later in the morning over Banks County 5-2.
In championship play the Lady Tigers were not so fortunate, dropping games to Blessed Trinity, 2008 AA State Champions, by a 4-0 score. Late Saturday night the team played 7-AAA opponent, White County, losing 6-2 to capture fourth place.
“It gave us a chance to see what we need to work on. Physically, we need to be in better shape. Errors really hurt us in the final two games because we were just tired,” said Pruett.
Despite losing their final two games, the Lady Tigers had several highlights during the weekend. Cox hit a monster homerun against Banks County and freshman Jenna Abbott hit two homeruns against Holy Innocence.
Pruett also praised the play of sophomore catcher Kimberly Wallace. Wallace had a batting average over .500 in the six games played.
Pitching is a distinctive strength for this year’s team.
Cox, Cheyenne Bennett and Abbott are a good trio with explosive fastballs. Each time they toe the rubber, they give Dawson a chance to succeed.
The Lady Tigers will be back in action Wednesday, as they travel to Jasper to face Pickens County High School.
Junior Varsity Coach Nickie Rogers’ team will begin action at 4:15 p.m., followed by the varsity game.