JASPER COUNTY SUN THA swinging for a softball success story By Matt Haddad Published on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 - 9:15am | News The Thomas Heyward Rebels softball team remained upbeat after a hard-fought 3-1 loss to the Class AAAA Bluffton Bobcats last Friday night at the Hardeeville Recreation Center. Kelsey Kelnhofer, one of only two seniors on a young team, scored the Rebels lone run. The Rebels ace pitcher, sophomore Selice Daley, recorded four strikeouts. Our youth is our strength, Thomas Heyward coach Bob Layman said. Theyre gonna make mistakes, but theyre very coachable. They recover quickly. The top of the second inning featured topnotch pitching by Daley, who struck out Kim Kerby and Courtney Smith. Shes doing a really good job for us, Kelnhofer said after the game. The other out of the inning was made by third baseman Laynee Bryan, who caught Lillie Ottens fly ball. In the bottom of the second, however, only Morgan Peeples was able to get a hit. Kelnhofer and Haylee Wade later agreed that the Rebels defense is better than their offense. Wade said, We can get a lot better at batting. The Rebels continued their standout defense in the top of the third, which was highlighted by Allison Brendlens running catch of a fly ball by Olivia Beine. In the bottom of the third, the Rebels lack of punch at the plate also continued. The Bobcats Smith recorded two strikeouts to end the inning in quick fashion. The Bobcats offense made some noise in the top of the fourth, when Kerbys sacrifice fly and Ottens walk loaded the bases with two outs. However, Smith popped out to Wade to end the threat. Wade, who played second base last season, has established herself at shortstop. I like shortstop much better, Wade said. You see more action there. In the top of the fifth, Daley walked Amanda Dart and struck out Beine. Then, after Bryan caught a fly ball from Amber Klitch, disaster struck. Morganne Parker bunted toward third, and an errant throw went flying into the outfield - sending Dart and Parker home for a 2-0 Bobcats lead. The Rebels Liz Bunton ended the inning by catching Mikyla Houglans deep fly to center. In the bottom of the fifth, Peeples got to first on a Bluffton error, but Smith struck out Wade and Brendlen to end the inning. In the top of the sixth, Kerby hit one over the fence for a home run and 3-0 lead. The Rebels fought back in the bottom of the sixth, as Kelnhofer hit a single and advanced to second on Buntons sacrifice fly. Daleys single sent Kelnhofer to third, and then Cannon hit an RBI single to score Kelnhofer, making the score 3-1. However, Heywards best offensive inning ended when Smith struck Peeples out. I want us to have more confidence, Kelnhofer said after the game. Especially with our hitting. Second baseman Zoe Mitchell, a transfer student, has been a leader on the team, and she is one of the players looked upon to provide a spark. The Rebels hit well in last Thursday nights win at Class AAAA Beaufort High. Cannon hit a two-run homer in the 5-2 victory. Thomas Heyward clinched SCISA 1-AA last week when Bible Baptist canceled its season. Its the Rebels fifth conference championship in Laymans five seasons as the head coach. Nobodys ever scored on us in the conference since Ive been here, Layman said. Layman welcomes the competition from their Class AAAA opponents. I appreciate the public schools putting us on their schedules, Layman said. I respect the coaches at Bluffton, Beaufort, and Hilton Head, and we enjoy playing them. Bluffton in particular has been a rival for Thomas Heyward. Girls from the two schools know each other, and they get excited about these games, Layman said. Both the coach and his players have expectations of better things to come. Its early in the season, Layman said. A month from now, theyll be more experienced and doing what theyre supposed to be doing. Laymans Rebels won the state championship in 2011 and lost the title series in 2010 and 2012. When asked if he has championship aspirations for this years team, he said, Absolutely! Kelnhofer, who was a freshman on the 2011 title team, said, Im looking forward to see how we do for the rest of the season. Layman said, I tell the girls, ‘Live for the next pitch.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 17:25:35 +0000
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