FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. — Chris Edwards’ North Laurel Lady Jaguars capped off their stay in the Sunshine State with an impressive 5-2 win over South Oldham.
The Lady Jaguars (6-6) posted a 2-3 mark during their stay, but continued to improve each day.
“Really good bounce-back win today against a good South Oldham squad,” Edwards said. “Very fundamentally sound, good pitching. Another tough test for us.
“Highlight of today was our pitching,” he added. “Tessa (Monhollen) started and worked into the sixth. She’s been a beast and a workhorse down here. Very happy with her and the way she has been throwing it. Only four hits allowed and one earned run. This was against a team that came into the game hitting over .420 as a team. Great job by her. Emma (Carl) came into close it out with 2 innings and an unearned run. Those two are getting better daily and it’s a good thing to see.”
Edwards was also pleased with the way his team performed at the plate.
“Offensively, seven of the nine girls had hits, including multiple hits from Katie Sams, Saige McClure and Bella Finley,” he said. “We also got some timely hits late in the game to extend the lead. Really proud of the girls today.
“This trip was set up to be a challenge and it was,” he added. “We finished 2-3 on the trip but could’ve won three or four of these games. Owensboro Catholic is a perennial power and has a really good pitcher and we had our chances in that game, losing on a walk off in extra innings. Hancock County is the favorite in their region and the player of the year in Lilly Roberts. She is a dominating pitcher. She is as good as advertised.
“The game I regret is Lafayette,” Edwards continued. “We let that one slip away but still had chances late. There are some high level, state tournament quality teams down here. We wanted to challenge our team and we did. We wanted to face high quality pitching and we did that as well. Proud of my team and happy for the experience. Now we need to get home safely, get some rest and get ready for the middle part of our schedule. Keep working hard and getting better. Go Jags.”
