By CINDY CROSBY
cindyc4@yahoo.com
The Colleton Prep varsity softball team competed in the Grand Slam Jam Preseason Tournament held Saturday Feb. 15 at ACE Basin Sports Complex. Under the direction of first-year Head Coach Tiger Martin, the Lady Hawks went 2-0 on the day.
“We loved the new format of the event,” said Martin. “Given the limited amount of practice we’ve had as a team, and the fact we are replacing four multi-year starters, we got exactly the draw that we needed to knock off rust and begin to build some confidence.
“Haley Bootle pitched really well against Beaufort High School,” said Martin. “She pitched herself out of a jam, not allowing a run in two innings of work. Rachel Wright pitched the next two innings and Becca Martin closed out the 11-2 win. We are going to need both Wright and Martin to bolster our rotation.
“Barnwell High School has a solid team,” said Martin. “Their pitching was a step up from Beaufort’s and presented a good challenge for us. Bootle threw three innings and held the Warhorses scoreless. Wright and Martin each threw an inning and preserved the 6-0 win.
“The big difference for us in both games was the speed at the top of our order,” said Martin. “We were able to advance runners when needed. Weslin Jones and Taylor Tomedolskey hit the ball hard every at-bat Saturday and Bootle was 1-3 with a homerun. Overall, I very pleased with how the day went.”
