We got ahead and we never took our foot off the pedal."South Effingham coach Chuck Smith
SPRINGFIELD — From an emotional standpoint, it was Mount Everest on one side and the Grand Canyon on the other.
South Effingham was sky high and Effingham County was in a deep funk following the Lady Mustangs 11-0 win over the Lady Rebels on Wednesday.
Lady Mustangs coach Chuck Smith couldn’t have been more proud of his team, which improved to 14-4.
“I loved it,” he said. ‘They were competing big time tonight.”
Smith lauded several players for having solid at-bats. Alexa Johanson had one in the second inning that featured numerous foul balls before she finally collected an infield hit.
“They were keeping their hands back on change-ups, taking the ball back up the middle and the little things,” Smith said. “We got ahead and we never took our foot off the pedal. We just kept it and we wanted more and more and more.”
South Effingham finished with nine hits, getting two each from Johanson, Hailey Pinette and Rachel Mixon.
Several minutes after the contest was over, the 10-4 Lady Rebels were huddled in the outfield, talking among themselves. They only got four hits and committed four errors.
“I hope this serves as a wake-up call,” Effingham County coach Johnny Coleman said. “They have to decide what kind of team we are going to have. They have to decide if they want to do what is necessary to get us on the right track or if they want to just ride the season out.
“We’ve got to have somebody to step up and right now it isn’t happening. We’re flat, and I take responsibility for it because I should have them ready to play.”
Coleman expects a fighting spirit to evident in his team next week. The Lady Rebels have give games, including a rematch with South Effingham on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Josh Reddick Stadium. They also have three contests against Richmond Hill.
“There’s a lot of heart on this team but I think it left us a little bit today,” Coleman said. “Those girls are not used to being down like that. I would love to have seen them with more fire.
“We are going to work on it as a coaching staff to make sure it is corrected.”
