Lady Bulldogs take third in Summit Conference tourney

The Gainesville High School Lady Bulldogs softball team began their season with a 6-5 conference tournament win over Conway on Friday, March 19. The win meant the team continued on to Hartville, where they faced the Mansfield Lions on Saturday.  

“We found ourselves down 0-5 against the Conway Bears, but my ladies played hard to come back and pull out a win, which meant we got to continue in the tournament,” said GHS coach Joe Walrath.

The Gainesville girls fell to Mansfield 4-10 in the second round of tournament play. “The girls actually played a pretty good game; it was a 3-3 tie until the fourth, when it seemed the strike zone disappeared for my pitcher, and we will leave it at that,” Walrath said. 

The Lady Bulldogs then played the Norwood Lady Pirates for third place. “I think having to watch that second game result really lit a fire in the girls,” Walrath said. “They were going to make sure they could decide their own outcome in this one. Norwood beat us pretty good in the fall, so we returned the favor by beating them 12-1. The whole team hit the cover off the ball, and the girls played hard team ball all day. Sailor Anderson really picked it up pitching that second game and only allowed one run. My hero of the day was Debra Winrod. She hit one a mile out of that Hartville softball field, and she made an outstanding running catch, crashing into the wall in center but never dropped the ball.”

The Lady Bulldogs host Conway Thursday, March 25, at home. The varsity game begins at 4:30, followed by the JV at 6.