Teams looking for second wind after rough first month, break
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 5, 2000
Local high school baseball and softball teams are completing a week of rest and relaxation that comes with spring break; however, come Monday it is back on the diamond for many of these teams.
Greenville High School softball will kick things off after the break with a game on Monday against Brantley. On Apr. 8 the Lady Tigers will head to Georgiana to participate in the Butler County Softball Tournament followed by the Elba Sweet Swingers Classic in Elba on Apr. 14 and 15.
The Lady Tigers will try to rebound from a 3-9 record through March. But they still have many games left on their schedule as they play through May 11. Sectionals will begin on May 13 with the state tournement to be held on May 19 and 20.
The GHS boys' team schedule is not as long. They take the field again today as they travel to Excel to participate in the Excel Tournament. They are scheduled to travel to McKenzie on Tuesday. Like the Ladies, the Tigers also would like to improve on their record going down the stretch as they currently stand at
3-9 overall with a 1-3 area record.
Greenville can still make the state playoffs as they still have games scheduled against area opponents Opp on Apr. 7 and Andalusia on Apr. 18.
The Greenville Academy Tornado girls' softball team is looking to add a few more wins to their totals after going into spring break with an overall record of 1-5 with a 1-2 record in their region. They will not take the field until Apr. 7 when they will play a doubleheader against Central Christian Academy.
The girls enter the season with many under classmen, but head coach Gary Wayne Bowen said he has seen some improvement during the first month of the season.
"We are getting better, but we have to play with more consistency. We can play four or five good innings in which we field the ball well and then in the next inning we can't even catch it. It's the same way with our hitting right now. That is what is hurting us the most at this moment. Hopefully, we will continue to improve and start playing with more consistency in our upcoming games," Bowen said.
Meanwhile the Tornado boys' baseball team also suffered a losing record through the first month. Their season record stands at 2-4. They will travel to Lowndes Academy on Tuesday.
The Fort Dale Lady Eagles, like the Nados, are a young team looking to gain experience as well as wins. The Lady Eagles' record stands at 2-8 and they are 1-1 in their region.
The Eagles' baseball team completes the first month of the season as the best team in Butler County. The Eagles have great pitching and they have been scoring a lot of runs offensively. They were the only team to schedule games over the break as they traveled to Phenix City to participate in the Glenwood Tournament.
The Eagles' record stands at 13-1 on the year.
Head Coach Jim Brantley said his team has started the season strong, but that there are still many tough games remaining on their schedule.
"We have had a few games we have won by the skin of our teeth. But, we have had others in which we were able to open the gates and have some fun. Over the next few weeks we are going to find out what type of team we really have. We will be going up against some really good teams and that will tell us exactly what we have," he said.
The boys' next home game will be on Tuesday against region opponent Meadowview Christian Academy.