Terrell Academy softball “getting closer” in loss to SGA

DAWSON — Ashley Walker likes the direction his Terrell Academy softball team is headed.

He just doesn’t believe the Lady Eagles have arrived yet.

“I like where we are, but I still believe we haven’t hit our stride yet collectively as a group,” Walker said. “Being more consistent in all phases is going to be the key as we move closer to the midpoint of the season and region play.”

Monday afternoon offered evidence of both the progress Walker sees and the work he knows remains to be done.

Terrell Academy battled defending state champion Southwest Georgia Academy throughout a hot August afternoon in Dawson, but an early four-run deficit and missed opportunities at the plate proved costly in a 7-3 loss.

The Lady Warriors put Terrell in trouble almost immediately.

Addison Mock opened the game with a walk, Charlee Davis singled to center and Amelia Giles brought home a run with a groundout. Kate Sheffield added an RBI single down the right-field line as SGA pushed four runs across in the first inning.

“We had a slow start and got down early, and you just can’t do that against good teams with a good arm in the circle,” Walker said.

Terrell had an opportunity to answer when Kacy Sheffield singled to begin the bottom of the inning, but SGA turned a double play to quickly end the threat.

The Lady Eagles continued putting runners on base as the afternoon progressed. What they couldn’t find was the timely hit needed to turn those opportunities into a big inning.

“I felt like we had baserunners on all game, but we could never get that one big hit to get us rolling offensively,” Walker said. “I thought both teams did a good job of working out of jams. They were just able to push a few more runs across than us.”

Terrell finished with seven hits, with Lily Addison and Jacey Lane each driving in a run.

SGA collected 12 hits, including three from winning pitcher Ava Rathel. Libby Glass went 2-for-5 and drove in two runs, while Davis, Sheffield and Ryleigh Moseley also had multiple hits.

Rathel went the distance in the circle, allowing three unearned runs on seven hits without issuing a walk.

Michaela Zingarelli pitched 5 2/3 innings for Terrell, allowing six runs — five earned — on nine hits and four walks.

The difference, Walker said, was SGA’s ability to capitalize on Terrell’s mistakes while the Lady Eagles couldn’t do the same when opportunities came their way.

“They did a good job capitalizing on a few mistakes of ours, and we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities they gave us throughout the game,” Walker said.

Despite the loss, Walker came away encouraged by how his team competed against the defending state champions. His concern now is eliminating the mistakes that become magnified against quality opponents.

“It was a very competitive game for the most part,” Walker said. “We just need to hit our rhythm right out of the gate defensively and keep our mistakes at a minimum. The good thing is that all of our issues are correctable in practice.

“All in all, I’m proud of our improvements. We just need to start fine-tuning some things so we can be better across the board.”

Terrell Academy returns to action Thursday when the Lady Eagles host Westwood in Dawson.