Friday Features: DSU softball grabs early attention, knocks off No. 1
By Maurice Patton
Listening to
Casey Bourgoyne-Charles, you get the impression that her
Delta State softball team had to have the significance of last weekend’s accomplishment explained.
You also get the impression very little time was spent doing so.
During the first day of the season-opening
Southern Softball Showdown – a series of matchups between the Gulf South Conference and the rival
Peach Belt Conference – the Lady Statesmen defeated defending NCAA Division II national titlist and preseason No. 1 North Georgia 3-2.
Junior catcher
Madison Zoeller’s third-inning RBI base hit proved to be the difference in the contest, supporting a six-hit pitching performance by sophomore
Katie Justice in which she stranded 13 UNG runners.
Bourgoyne-Charles started three freshmen and a junior transfer in the win Saturday, which followed a 10-9 loss to Armstrong Atlantic in which Delta gave up an eight-run inning.
“We blew a 6-1 lead against Armstrong State,” she said. “To be able to bounce back and respond the way we did was good. We got a really great performance from Katie. She kept us in the game, and we got it done in a tough situation.
“We know how good North Georgia is, but we want to treat them like we treat everyone else. We enjoyed it for about one game, and then we had to go into the next day.”
Delta split two more contests Sunday – defeating Augusta 3-0 before losing to Columbus State 6-5 – to even its record at 2-2 heading into the three-day Southern Arkansas tournament this weekend.
“It was a high-quality, highly competitive tournament,” Bourgoyne-Charles said of the Southern Showdown, held in Columbus, Ga., at the site of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics women’s fast-pitch softball competition. “Both commissioners did a great job putting that together.
“It was a great experience overall. That was the toughest competition we could play in late January. You wish we could have come out 3-1, but we could have been 0-4. I feel like we competed. I think it’s an OK start for us. There are a lot of freshmen we’re playing. You never really know what you’re going to get, where you’re going to be.”
Picked sixth in the GSC preseason poll after finishing 27-24 last year, Bourgoyne-Charles anticipated her lineup having some youth this time around. Freshman
Jordan Jones has nailed down an outfield spot, as has corner infielder
Morgan Kazerooni and middle infielder
Abi Gibson.
Kristen Mitchell, a junior college transfer, has also given Delta a lift early.
“At any given time, we could have three or four (freshmen) out there,” she said. “That’s a lot. They come in here and don’t understand how good the Gulf South is. You just throw them in there blindfolded, and they just worry about playing the game. We’ve got so much room to grow, mentally. They’re getting used to the stress and pressure. Were we ready? No. Did we make a lot of mistakes? Yes."
“We’ve got 10 games before we start conference play. The best way to find out what you’ve got is to go play, throw them in the fire.”
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