Lady Tigers Softball is back in full swing

The Swainsboro Lady Tigers softball team opened up the season at home on August 1st with an impressive 11-2 win over the GSIC Patriots. Junior Kayla Crabb drove in four runs on two hits and pitched a complete game to lead the team to victory.

Swainsboro pushed across four runs in each of the first two innings to take an early 8-0 lead and never looked back. Leading hitters for Swainsboro were Gracie Beneteau (2-2), Kayla Crabb (2-3), and Berklie Bishop (2-3). Cassidy Joyner, Ariel Tapley, and Kyleigh Hostilo also chipped in with one hit each for the Lady Tigers. Crabb pitched five innings, giving up just one earned run on three hits and two walks. She also struck out three Patriot batters on her way to recording her first varsity win as a pitcher for the Lady Tigers.

Last Saturday the Lady Tigers traveled to Patriots Park just outside of Augusta to play in the annual Harlem Fall Classic. After days of rain from Hurricane Debby, everyone was glad to get back on the field and see sunny skies, but Saturday’s heat and humidity were simply brutal. Swainsboro played back-to-back games in the 95 degree temperature and handled the conditions about as well as they could. In their first game of the day, Swainsboro played 5-A Lakeside High School. The Lady Tigers, who will again compete in Class A, defeated the Panthers by a score of 13-1 thanks in part to a seven run outburst in the third inning. Cassidy Jordan and Sara Smith led the Swainsboro offense which was able to finish off Lakeside High in four innings due to the mercy rule. Freshman Chloe Boulineau toed the rubber for the first time in her varsity career and allowed just one run on one hit and one walk to pick up the victory.

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After a very short break, the Lady Tigers took the field for game two. This time Swainsboro faced off against the Lady Buccaneers of Briarwood Academy. Swainsboro led off the game with consecutive singles by Gracie Beneteau, Chloe Boulineau, and Sara Smith but scored just one run in the inning. Swainsboro continued to put the ball in play but simply could not string together any hits and eventually fell by a score of 3-2. Leading hitters for Swainsboro were Gracie Beneteau, Chole Boulineau, Sara Smith, Berklie Bishop, and Kayla Crabb.

Swainsboro was back in action Monday and traveled over to Mill Creek Park in Bulloch County to face off against another 5-A school, Statesboro High School. Chloe Boulineau got her second start of the season and pitched another gem for the Lady Tigers. She threw six innings and allowed five runs (only one earned) on four four hits while striking out 10 Blue Devil batters. The young Swainsboro defense, however, made four costly errors on the evening which led to four of the five runs that were allowed. Swainsboro had seven hits on the evening but were unable to push any runs across the plate and dropped the game to Statesboro by a final score of 5-0. Gracie Beneteau, Chloe Boulineau, Berklie Bishop, Sara Smith, and Ariel Tapley were all 1-3 on the evening. Izzy Baird led the LadyTigers with two hits.

In upcoming action, Swainsboro will host Johnson County on Tuesday, Toombs County on Thursday, and Statesboro on Monday. Game times for both games this week will be 6pm. Monday’s home game against Statesboro will begin at 5:30pm. Results of Tuesday nights game against Johnson County were not yet available.