Gatewood softball began its season on the right foot, July 29, with a convincing win in Dublin over Trinity Christian.
The Lady Gators cruised to an 11-1 victory, avenging a loss to the Lady Crusaders in last year’s season opener.
“Starting the season with a dominant win is always good. I think that it will help our mental game in the long run,” Gatewood head softball coach Dena Stancil said after the mercy-rule win.
Gatewood started strong offensively, leading 5-1 after two innings. Lily Arthur, Riley Roberts, and Avery Hill each drove in early runs, helping the Lady Gators build momentum. The team scored again in the third and fourth innings, extending the lead to 7-1, moving into the top of the fifth.
Gatewood was held scoreless in the top of the fifth inning but added four more runs in the top of the sixth to extend its lead to 11-1. Roberts, who pitched the entire game for the Lady Gators, kept Trinity Christian scoreless in the bottom of the sixth to secure the victory as the game ended early due to the run rule.
The Gatewood offense totaled 10 hits, with eight coming from Hill, Roberts, Natalie Sills, and McKenna Riser. Arthur had a team-high four RBIs with two runs scored. Roberts also finished with two RBIs and a run scored.
Stancil said the team’s strength is its offense, and she thought her players delivered at the plate.
“I’ve been excited to see this lineup in action all summer,” she said. “This team is crushing the ball, and I believe they have a point to prove with their bats this season. I told them I wanted at least eight runs that first game, and they tacked on a few more.”
After allowing a run in the first inning, Roberts pitched five consecutive scoreless frames to finish the game. The senior gave up five hits and one earned run, with nine strikeouts and zero walks in 83 pitches thrown.
Stancil noted the plan was to use two pitchers against the Lady Crusaders, but Roberts was unstoppable.
“The plan going into that first game was to let Riley and Natalie share the circle, but Trinity couldn’t handle Riley’s speed and ball movement, so we rode her arm for the six innings it took to close out the game,” Stancil said.
The Lady Gators’ home opener is Thursday at 4 p.m. when they host Georgia Military College, followed by a Saturday doubleheader at Southland Academy in Americus.