Many people celebrated Easter Sunday on April 9 by going to a church service, eating a nice meal with family and searching for colorful eggs in the back yard.
The South Spencer softball team, however, was also hoping to celebrate a day later with a victory over PAC and sectional rival Forest Park.
Mission accomplished.
The Lady Rebels combined a strong pitching performance with an explosive hitting attack to topple the Rangers 10-3 last Monday night in Reo.
South Spencer coach Justice Taylor admitted it was a big win for her squad.
“It was huge. We’ve always been talking about just going day by day and getting quality wins,” said the Lady Rebel skipper. “This was a conference victory, so I’m very proud of them.”
She was certainly proud of Kaylee Schmitt’s pitching performance. The sophomore left-hander not only fired a complete-game four-hitter, but she piled up 13 strikeouts. Schmitt was especially dominant at the start when she sent down eight of Forest Park’s first nine batters via the ‘K’.
“Kaylee is huge for us, and I’m proud of her,” reiterated Taylor. “She really stepped up. Her pitching is phenomenal right now. We couldn’t do this without her. All her pitches are working — the speed, the movement. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”
To say Taylor was pleased with how her team responded to the Rangers’ comeback attempt would be an understatement.
When all was said and done, every hitter in the Lady Rebel batting order either scored at least once or drove in a run.
Photos by Sierra Bruggeman
