Clarke Central High School freshman and varsity first-baseman, Lydia Haag bats at the Aug. 7 varsity softball home game against Central Gwinnett High School. The team beat CGHS last year and they felt confident about securing the win this year. “We were already coming in pretty high, but you can’t take anybody for granted,”Assistant Coach, Natassja Hatcher said. “We have to just make sure we take it one game at a time, figuring out how to win this one game and then taking it the next game.” Photo by Violet Cantarella
The CCHS varsity softball team beat Central Gwinnett High School in a home game on Aug. 7 with a final score of 17-2.
The Clarke Central High School varsity softball team continued their winning streak in a non-Region 8-AAAAA game against Central Gwinnett High School on Aug. 7, winning with a final score of 17-2.
The game started quickly with the Gladiators scoring seven runs in the bottom half of the first inning after the Black Knights put up one. During the inning, CCHS loaded the bases twice and scored several runs on walks. Although not the expected defensive execution from the Black Knights, Clarke Central High School Assistant Coach, Natassja Hatcher felt that the team played well on offense when presented with the opportunity.
“We had really good hits, hard hits. We had mistakes on the plate, but we always made up for it afterwards. There’s always things that we can improve on, but there’s always next game,” Hatcher said.
A Central Gwinnett High School player bats at the Aug. 7 varsity softball game. Clarke Central High School junior and varsity second-baseman Alexandra Ozuna, was happy with the outcome of the game and the team’s performance. “It’s exciting to know that we’re able to win and just get out there and get some hits, get on base, get home, make our plays when we need to and just see where we need to improve,” Ozuna said. Photo by Violet Cantarella
“We’re just working on how we’re going to approach the more difficult games.”
— Alexander Ozuna, varsity second-baseman
The game kept up a similar pace with the Gladiators scoring 10 more runs in the next two innings and the Black Knights adding one more run, resulting in CCHS being up 15 points after three innings, a mercy rule.
“It always feels good to beat somebody by a lot. It shows how our hard work has come into effect on the field, and it feels good to go home a little bit early too,” Hatcher said.
During the 2023-24 season, the CCHS varsity softball team went against CGHS twice and won both times. According to CCHS junior and varsity second-baseman Alexandra Ozuna, this gave the team confidence and played a role in their win, which will prepare them for future games.
“This team isn’t as difficult as some of the teams we saw last year, so we’re just working on how we’re going to approach the more difficult games and what we need to work on. Knowing how to steal and just getting a good understanding of the game before we go into region play,” Ozuna said.
