Benton Academy’s goal for the 2017 softball season was to improve upon their 2016 postseason record of 1-2 at the North State AA Tournament.
They were unable to do so, and their season ended after going 1-2 once again.
The field was a stacked one, and there were pitfalls at every turn, including the first.
In their first game of the tournament, the Lady Raiders were pitted against the Stars of Winona Christian.
Benton Academy head coach Adam Dixon understood the level of play he would need to get from his team to see them advance.
“We went into the tournament knowing we were going to face some pretty darn good teams,” Dixon said. “The north this year was absolutely stacked. Winona was a very good ball club, and we knew we’d have to play extremely well to win.”
Unfortunately, the Lady Raiders did not reach that particular level.
Benton fell 11-1 in the opening game.
According to Dixon, the crossover between softball and cheerleading put his team in a difficult position.
“We didn’t play particularly well,” Dixon said. “We had some starters who were cheerleaders and had a 3.5 hour trip the night before. Three starters didn’t get home until 2 a.m., and then we played at 9 a.m. the next morning. It was a little rough on them.”
The Lady Raiders moved to the loser’s bracket to face Oak Hill Academy, yet another difficult test.
Benton was well prepared for the second game, however, and dominated in 8-3 fashion to propel them forward.
Dixon believed his team had woken up adequately by the second game, particularly his pitching.
“We played a much better defensive game,” Dixon said. “We had great pitching performances from Gracie Manor and Catie Merrell. We felt good moving forward.”
The win set up a rematch with Central Holmes from the regular season, and that meant going against one of the top pitchers in the state.
“Central Holmes had a very good pitcher,” Dixon said. “She’s one of the better pitchers in the MAIS overall. She has great command of her pitches.”
Benton struck first in the contest with a run to make it 1-0, but the lead was short-lived.
The Lady Trojans roared back with 11 runs to make the final score 11-1.
Dixon felt that the grind of the day took its toll.
“The error bug bit us a little,” Dixon said. “I think the heat got to us some. We were playing pretty good early. We felt really good about it and started off with a lot of energy. We just didn’t have the depth. The same 10 that played at the first of the year played all year.”
Of all the things Dixon will remember about this team, the one thing that stands out above the rest is the improvement his team showed.
“We need to continue to build depth where we can give girls a break, but we’re bringing back a lot of girls,” Dixon said. “I’m going to remember the progress we made this year. We were a much more complete team than the team we started with last year. We improved in play, mindset, and in confidence. We just became much improved.”
