Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2018
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 3B
Softball
SOLID SEASON
Bethlehem Christian Academy’s Olivia Morgan throws a runner out at first
base during a GICAA first-round playoff doubleheader last month against
Peachtree Academy. The Knights were swept by The King’s Academy in
Woodstock last Wednesday in the state semifinals. They finished 12-3 in their
first season of varsity competition since 2013. Photo by Kyle Funderburk
Track and Field
Five BCA athletes
place at state meet
Five Bethlehem Christian Acad
emy athletes placed in the GISA
Class AAA state meet at Hugh Mills
Stadium in Albany last week.
BCA junior Olivia Morgan fin
ished second in the girls high jump
(4 feet, 11 inches), which was a
couple inches off her region cham
pionship-winning jump of 5 feet, 2
inches. Morgan also qualified for
state in the long jump.
Adam Gano placed in three events
at state, taking fifth in the boys tri
plejump (39 feet, 1.25 inches), sixth
in the long jump (19 feet, 4 inches)
and sixth in the 100-meter dash
(11.66 seconds). Kaleigh Roseland
finished seventh in the 100-meter
dash (13.47), Clayton Hopkins took
seventh in the shot put (40 feet, 8.25
inches) and Laura Clifford placed
eighth in the 300-meter hurdles
(52.34 seconds).
Also competing in events were
Carson McKee in the girls 3,200-
meter run, Eliel St. Louis and
Nolan Garrett in the high jump,
Lawson Maxwell in the shot put,
Tanner Schwebel and Maxwell in
the discus, and Gano, Schwebel, St.
Louis and Makayal Cooper in the
4x100-meter relay.
Prep Calendar
THURSDAY
Baseball
GHSA Class AAAAAA playoffs, second round: River Ridge at Winder-Barrow
(DH). 4:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
BCA falls
By Scott Thompson
Sports Editor
After going on a dom
inant run throughout
the season, the Bethle
hem Christian Academy
softball team ran into a
buzzsaw last Wednes
day in the GICAA state
semifinals.
The Knights were
swept by three-time
defending state champi
on The King’s Academy
in Woodstock, 12-0 in
four innings in game one
and 13-2 in five innings
in game two, and man
aged just three hits over
nine innings.
“They were just solid
all the way around,” BCA
coach Michael Clarke
said of The King’s Acad
emy. “They have seven
seniors who have been
playing together since
they were freshmen.
Their pitcher was real
ly, really good and their
coach said we were the
first team to score off of
her all year so I guess
you could take that as a
moral victory.”
A disastrous second
inning in both games
proved too much for the
Knights (12-3) to over
come. In game one, TKA
(17-0-1) scored a run in
the bottom of the first
and then added six in the
second to break it open.
TKA went on to score
two more in the third and
three in the fourth to end
the game early.
Laurelyn Ostrowidz-
ki was dominant in the
circle, striking out eight
batters and allowing only
a fourth-inning single to
Lindzie Owen and a hit
batsman.
BCA took a brief 2-1
lead in the bottom of
the first of game two.
Owen led off with a sin
gle, took second on a
sacrifice bunt by Olivia
Morgan, stole third and
then scored on a squeeze
bunt by Jadyn Goddard,
who reached safely on
the play. Goddard stole
home later in the inning
to make it 2-1.
But TKA struck
back with six runs in
the second, two in the
fourth and four in the
fifth to take full control.
Ostrowidzki picked up
the win again, fanning
in state semifinals
eight BCA hitters over
four innings and allow
ing just two singles, both
by Owen. Celeen Hill
pitched the final inning
in relief for TKA.
TKA was set to face
either New Creation
Christian Academy —
the only other team to
beat BCA this season
— or Calvary Christian
School — in the state
finals Tuesday.
Despite the loss to
TKA, it was a solid sea
son for a young and inex
perienced BCA team,
which was competing at
the varsity level for the
first time since 2013.
“I don’t think, start
ing out, many people
thought we’d go as far
as we did with mainly
eighth- and ninth-grad
ers and just four juniors
on the team,” Clarke
said. “I have to tip my
hat to (TKA). They came
ready to play and we
knew we’d have to play
our very best to have a
shot. It took everything
we had to muster those
two runs.”
“But I’m really proud
of the girls and the
way they stepped up to
the challenge all year.
They’ve set the founda
tion and a solid base for
future teams to build off
of.”
Clarke has plenty of
reasons to be optimis
tic about the program’s
future, starting with
catcher and leadoff hitter
Lindzie Owen, who put
together a remarkable
freshman campaign.
In 15 games, Owen
hit .787 with an .815
on-base percentage, five
home runs, 24 RBIs, 42
runs scores, six doubles,
six triples and 32 stolen
bases out of 34 attempts.
“She’s a playmaker
and leader and she leads
with action,” Clarke said.
“She’s a rah-rah type but
also when she speaks,
even being a freshman,
the whole team listens.
Playing catcher, you do
have to take command of
the field, and she’s one
of the best catchers I’ve
worked with.”
Clarke touted several
other players, includ
ing freshman Clancy
Borbeau, who hit .610
with a pair of homers
and 24 RBIs and was
durable in the circle for
the Knights. He praised
others like junior infield
er Olivia Morgan and
junior outfielder Kaleigh
Roseland, who put
together strong seasons
while also juggling soft-
ball with track and field
and qualifying for the
state meet.
Clarke said the Knights
will get two weeks off
and then begin their
off-season conditioning
program. He said the
team will compete again
in GICAA next spring
and then hopes to tran
sition to GISA in the
fall of 2019 when the
current junior class has
graduated and the pro
gram has a larger base of
players without having
to pluck from other fall
sports teams.
“I think the girls are
excited,” Clarke said.
“They told me they were
ready to start the off
season program right
now without any time
off. Everyone has real
ly bought in, and with
an awesome group of
eighth- and ninth-grad
ers, I’m expecting really
big things next year.
“I told them it’s not
going to be the wins we
remember but the loss
es, and that’s given them
some extra motivation as
well.”
Baseball
GISA Class AAA playoffs, first round: Bethlehem Christian Academy at West-
field School. Perry (DH), 4 p.m.
River Ridge at Winder-Barrow, game 3 (if necessary), 5 p.m.
SATURDAY
Baseball
Bethlehem Christian at Westfield, game 3 (if necessary), 2 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Football
Spring scrimmage: East Jackson at Apalachee, 6 p.m.
ON TO THE NEXT ROUND
Austin Lockridge and Winder-Barrow will host River Ridge in the sec
ond round of the GHSA Class AAAAAA playoffs in a best-of-three series
beginning Thursday.
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