The Palestine Herald
May 07, 2008 10:22 am
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By SCOTT TYLER
H-P Sports Editor
SLOCUM — For a majority of the Slocum Lady Mustang softball team, last week’s playoff game was the first of their high school career.
With that game under their belts, Slocum head coach David Ives hopes his squad will be a little more calm Thursday in the regional quarterfinals.
The Lady Mustangs will play Colmesneil at 7 p.m. Thursday at Nacogdoches High School.
Slocum is coming off an 11-7 win over Martinsville last week but each time the Lady Mustangs took a big lead, Martinsville rallied and made the game close.
“I think with Martinsville, we got up 5-0 and then relaxed,” Ives said. “Then we let our guard down again at 9-2.
“We need to learn when we get people down, we have to keep them down. A lot of that goes to our inexperience.”
Slocum faces a Colmesneil team that took second in District 24-A. Colmesneil defeated Grapeland in three games (4-2, 6-7, 18-3) and then defeated Cross Roads 11-4 in the area round.
“They are a good team that has a really good pitcher,” Ives said. “They play good defense and they can hit the ball one through nine.”
The task of trying to shut down the Colmesneil offense goes to Slocum hurler Karson Salmon.
“Karson just needs to go out and do what she has been doing,” Ives said. “She has kept us in a lot of ball games, not just with her pitching, but also with her bat.
“She needs to be consistent and throw strikes.”
Salmon, who has over 200 strikeouts on the season, has been battling through a pulled muscle the last three weeks.
“Karson is going to give everything she has and won’t complain,” Ives said. “The injury is a day-to-day thing.”
Ives said Slocum’s defense has to do a better job than what he saw against Martinsville.
“We have to play better defense from last week,” the Slocum head coach said. “The further you go in the playoffs, you have to limit your mistakes.”
At the plate, Ives said contact would be the key.
“We cannot go up and strikeout,” Ives said. “We have to be able to put the ball in play.”
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Scott Tyler may be contacted via e-mail at styler@palestineherald.com
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