No. 5 Lamar opens softball season with a decisive win over St. Mary’s
In the first game of the year, Lamar softball showed it means business in 2017.
The year opened with a league game against St. Mary’s and it was the Savages who came out strong, getting the 9-0 win.
The preseason rankings were favorable for Lamar (1-0 overall, 1-0 Class 3A District 2) who opened as the No. 5 team in the 3A polls.
“It’s not preferable (opening up with a league game), but we’ve been doing it for a long time,” Lamar coach Mindy McCoy said. “It’s what we’ve gotten used and it’s okay considering our girls play all summer long.”
They had dreams of a championship run in 2016, but ran into a strong Brush team, who came away with a 12-2 win.
The Pirates (0-1, 0-1) were unable to get any runners across the plate, but remained within striking distance through three innings.
The Savages were only up 2-0, but a three-run fourth inning made the lead a little more comfortable. They added four more runs in the sixth, sending a message to teams within the league and across the state that they are a team that should not be taken lightly.
“I saw a lot of good things to start the season,” McCoy said. “My pitcher Lacey Cohen came out and pitched a great game. Hitting-wise, the girls did everything that I asked of them and scored a lot of runs.”
Cohen threw all seven innings and scored two runs for the Savages. Morgan Reed went 2-for-4 and also scored a run.
Peyton Richter went 2-for-3 for the Pirates.
Lamar is back in action on Friday when it hosts Burlington. The Cougars are unranked, but received votes in this week’s preseason poll.
The Pirates will try to get into the win column when they host No. 6 La Junta on Tuesday.
