The Manchester Academy Lady Maverick softball team dropped their season opener over the weekend in an 8-3 loss at Clinton Christian.
The Lady Mavs battled with the Lady Panthers but in the end their youth and inexperience showed.
“We played a really good team and hung with them for the most part,” said MA head coach Robert Blake. “We are really, really young and our youth showed out there. We did not make the plays today that we normally make in practice. Hopefully this was a learning experience for them. Maybe they’ll see the game moves a little bit faser out here. But you take away a few plays here or there and we’re in the ball game. We just have to learn from the mistakes we made today and keep working to get better. I’m focussed on our district schedule. Like I tell the girls, we want to get better game by game and be ready when district season rolls around.”
With only one senior on the team, Blake needs his young players to grow up quickly if the Lady Mavs want to have a legitimate shot at advancing in the post season.
Said Blake, “We have one senior, Anna Rilee Frey, so we’re relying on her for her senior leadership, but we’ve got several returning players who have played several years that should act like seniors and that’s Sydney Porter, Pressley Trammell and Ryelin Levison. Those four should provide plenty of leadership for these young girls to follow.”
Alley Grace Ables led Manchester at the plate with two singles, followed by Molly Mcbride, Frey, and Trammell each with a single.
