Madison County softball has been stacking the deck against itself with some formidable opponents.
And it’s worked to the Cowgirls’ favor thus far.
On Friday, March 27, the Cowgirls (8-2) traveled to Tallahassee and snapped the North Florida Christian Eagles’ (11-2) six-game winning streak with a 5-4 triumph.
“They always have a good team and show good sportsmanship towards us,” Madison County head coach Sonja Bass told the Tallahassee Democrat. “They’re a great team and ranked pretty high in Tallahassee and their classification.”
NFC is the Tallahassee Democrat’s top-ranked team as of March 23 and the FHSAA’s Class 1A fifth-ranked team, according to MaxPreps. Madison County is the No. 5 team in the Big Bend and No. 8 in the state’s Rural classification.
Friday was Madison County’s second time beating NFC this season, pairing with another one-point victory on March 3 with a score of 4-3.
Those close wins against a top team could pay dividends for the Cowgirls as the season progresses.
“I don’t really care about rankings,” Sonja Bass added. “I just care about where we finish the season. We get tough competition every time we play them and pretty much any team in Tallahassee. It’s a great place to play softball.”
It took some theatrics for the Cowgirls to edge out the Eagles.
As the Cowgirls clung to a 3-0 lead at the bottom of the sixth inning, a homerun by Skylar Young trimmed NFC’s deficit to just one.
Madison County then rebuilt its lead to 5-2 entering the bottom of the seventh before Eagles senior Harli Ray slammed a two-run homer to trail by just one again.
As the lead looked as if it would slip away in the game’s final moments, Sonja Bass visited pitcher Alden Bass on the mound to settle her down. A few plays later, Madison County tagged NFC out with the bases loaded to end the game.
“As a pitcher, it’s more of a mental game than anything,” Alden Bass reflected on Friday’s win.
“But it makes it a lot easier knowing that my defense has my back. We have a strong lineup that can keep us up through the game. And when we’re down, we don’t stay down. We get back up and fight even harder throughout the game.”
Madison County softball has high hopes this season
Madison County’s top performer at the plate is Ryleigh Bass, with 15 hits on a .615 batting average, per the Cowgirls’ MaxPreps statbook. Lexi Eads leads the team with five stolen bases.
Defensively, Alden Bass is strong on the hill, boasting an 8-1 record and a 1.62 earned run average.
“My Cowgirls, they like to persevere,” Bass said. “They come through, never give up, and they’re a good group of girls. They always work together and pick each other up.”
Those characteristics could have the Cowgirls hoisting some trophies later this spring.
Head coach Sonja Bass has preached a “championship mindset.”
Madison County next hosts Taylor County (6-5) on Tuesday, March 31, at 7 p.m.
“I think we can go all the way, just as long as we keep working together and continue to get better every day,” Alden Bass said. “I think we can go very far.”
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Madison County softball budding as one of Big Bend’s, state’s top teams
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
