Manning softball team has one of its best starts in years
Monarchs are 7-5 overall and 4-4 in Region 7-AA
Manning – The Manning High School softball team is off to one of its best starts in years. The Monarchs are 7-5 overall record and a 4-4 mark in Region 7-AA.
Manning head coach Catherine Mahoney is still looking for marked improvement from her team though.
“We aren’t where we need to be, but we’re getting there,” Mahoney said. “We are young. We only have 11 girls on varsity, and out of those only two are seniors. The rest are eighth- through 10th-graders.”
Manning owns a win over Lakewood and two wins over Lake Marion in non-region contests. The Monarchs faced defending AA state champion East Clarendon in its first two region contests and took it on the chin. They lost by the scores of 12-0 and 20-2.
Manning followed that up with sweeps of Kingstree and Mullins in region series. It beat Kingstree 14-1 and 15-1 and blasted Mullins 25-5 in the first game. Coming out of spring break, Manning lost twice to Atlantic Collegiate Academy, which is undeeated in region play like East Clarendon.
The Monarchs scored the 25 runs on just eight hits, drawing 16 walks while being hit by pitches six times. Tara Billups homered and had six runs batted in while scoring three times. Shayden Epps added two hits and four RBI. Unique Calhoun had three RBI while Anna Barrett and Ja'Nya Canty each drove in two.
Epps scored four runs, while Billups Barrett and Summer York each scored three times. Dakota Lambert, Madisyn Schraeder, Reese Jenkinson and Calhoun all scored twice, and Ma’Kayla Fordham and Canty both scored a run.
Epps earned the win in the circle, allowing five runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out eight.
“We are playing as expected most games, but as we enter the heart of our season they are going to have to pick it up as we facing some very talented teams,” Mahoney said. “We have to get the small things correct, like hitting the cuts and making the play.”
MANNING BASEBALL 5-12, 2-6
The Manning baseball team had itself in a position to earn a berth in the state playoffs coming out of spring break. However, the Monarchs have to make sure they take care of some business the rest of the way.
Manning is 5-12 overall and 2-6 in region play with six region contests remaining. The top five teams from the 7-team Region 7 are assured of berths in the playoffs.
Manning was in fifth with the 2-4 record, ahead of both Kingstree and Mullins with 1-7 records. That might look good except for one thing: the Monarchs split both of their 2-game series with Kingstree and Mullins.
With Kingstree and Mullins still having to play one another, if one of them sweeps the two games and Manning is unable to win any of its final six region contests, it would find itself on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs.
The Monarchs opened their region schedule with losses to East Clarendon by the count of 15-0 and 20-0. They then lost their next game to Kingstree 17-4 before rebounding with a 6-5 triumph to earn the split.
Manning took an 11-1 defeat at the hands of Mullins in the first game of that series. The Monarchs eked out another 1-run victory in the second contest, this one by a 15-14 score. It was just swept by undeeated Atlantic Collegiate.
The Monarchs take on fourth-place Marion, which is 4-4. They are scheduled to play host to the Swamp Foxes on April 21 and visit on April 24.
The final series comes against Lake City. Manning is at home on April 28 before making the trek to Lake City on May 1.
Kingstree and Mullins are scheduled to play their two games on consecutive days, April 21 in Mullins and April 22 in Kingstree.
Manning has two wins against Scott’s Branch by the scores of 15-0 and 17-11, respectively. Its fifth win was a 9-8 trium0h over Lee Central.
CJ Robinson was the Monarchs’ leading htter with a .448 batting average. He had a triple and a home runs and led the team in runs batted in with eight and was tied for theh lead in runs scored with 12.
Isaiah Baxter was batting .364 and had also scored 12 times. He had a double and two triples. Lovell Stevenson was the biggest power source with five of his nine hits going for extra bases with two doubles, two triples and a homer. He had seven RBI.
Will Miles was batting .250 with eight runs, Amarion Watts had scored nine runs and Laylon David had also homered.
Robinson also led Manning in stolen bases with 17. Watts, Miles, Stevenson and Baxter had eight apiece.
Jacob Broadway, David and Chris Caples had worked the most innings. Broadway had 19 innings pitched, David had 15 2/3 and Caples 13 1/3.
MANNING TO HOST REGION GOLF TOURNAMENT
The Manning boys golf team will be playing host to the Region 7 tournament at Shannon Greens Golf Club in Manning.
The Monarch golfers will be competing with golfers from Atlantic Collegiate, East Clarendon and Marion. The Monarchs will be competing individually to earn a spot in the Lower State tournament since Manning doesn’t have enough golfers to field a complete team.
Arush Patel has been having a good year for the Monarchs. He had a stroke average of 35 per nine holes. In a match against East Clarendon earlier this season, Patel shot a personal best 31.
Lawrence Johnson had an average score of 44 for Manning while Landon Bishop had a 49. Amon Conyers is in hirst year of playing golf.
