By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Brighton Lady Cardinal Anna McIntyre records an out against Hardin County last week.
March can be cold, wet and dreary. The weather conditions could also describe the feelings within the Brighton Lady Cardinal Softball program. But as April approached, sunny, warm and fuzzy feeling were on the horizon for Head Coach Robin Jacobs and crew. Since April 1, the Lady Cardinals have been one of the hottest teams in the area and currently in first place of District 13-3A after two wins over Hardin County last Tuesday. The Lady Tigers traveled to Tipton County for a doubleheader against Brighton at Lady Cardinal Field. Brighton won the second game as well. The Lady Cardinals set the tempo for the night in the first game winning 9-0 behind the solid pitching of junior Seeley Layne. “We had to make some changes,” Jacobs said. “We’ve had a good April, our defense has been a lot better. It’s getting to where we need it to be. “We’re pitching a lot better,” he added. “We’re not walking batters. We’re hitting the ball a little. We’re just having a good April. The biggest thing is we’ve been able to play a lot more. It has helped more than anything.” Brighton played well early against Hardin County building a 4-0 advantage in the first four innings of Game One. In the top of the fifth inning the Lady Cardinal lead grew to 6-0 when senior Kirsten Walker singled in two runners Haley Rider and Currie McIntyre. A couple of batters later Gracie Poirier dove in a run to make the tally 7-0. In the sixth inning the Lady Cardinals got a power surge from Rider. The sophomore sent a Hardin County offering for a ride over the center field fence for a 215-foot home run to make the score 8-0. The Lady Cardinals added a run in the seventh inning to post a 9-0 win over the Lady Tigers and improve to 2-0 in league play. The Game Two victory kept Brighton in first place with three league games to go. Jacobs said after enduring a tough March, the coaching staff decided to focus on in-house issues. The Lady Cardinals have kept their mindset on self-improving in order to get ready for a run in May. “We’re reaping that right this minute,” he said. “We were trying to get to 11 or 12 players we know we can call on in those big games. Right now we’re developing that. Right now we’re having a good time.
“They’re hitting the ball and playing some good defense,” Jacobs concluded. “It’s been awhile since you seen us do what we’re doing, like steal some bases and move some ball runners. We’re having a good time doing it.”
