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By LOU HATTER
RaMwhannoek New* SUIT Writer
When a high school team’s record swings way to the losing side, it is often hard to see anything postive about the season.
That’s not the case for Panther softball coach Renee Leake, who had nothing but praise for the determination of her team, which has struggled through the first third of its season. Despite a 48-10 blowout victory against George Mason on April 10, the Lady Panthers have not won a game since.
She admitted there have been many frustrating moments in the games since, with the Panthers consistently out-hitting and committing less errors than their opponents but continually hampered by inconsistent fielding and pitching.
Against Clarke County, for example, the Panthers out-hit the Eagles but lost 17-7, mainly due to 24 errors committed by the defense. And against Strasburg, the Panthers dropped a 12-3 lead and lost, 3520. Again, the team out-hit and outfielded the Rams, but were hampered by pitching difficulties.
However, Coach Leake said, she believes that the team is turning around and everyting may yet click at once. Despite another loss to Manassas Park, the Panthers rallied from a 14-2 deficit after one inning to end the game 18-8. “During the last half of that game, the pitching was getting more consistent. It just seems like our mistakes are all coming in bad places.”
On Monday, against Stonewall Jackson, the Panthers lost 15-7, but Coach Leake said that Karen Payne had her best outing on the mound this year. In the Manasssas Park game, she had control problems, the coach explained, but she worked out of it herself. “Her confidence level grew from that,” she said.
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