On Tuesday, August 11^th, the North Forsyth High School Varsity softball team played the Gladiators at John’s Creek. Junior pitcher Sara King started the game, relieved only by senior Courtney Walls in the second inning. The Lady Raiders were ahead most of the game, only to lose their lead in the final inning. Unable to get solid hits to score runs, the Varsity Lady Raiders unfortunately lost their first game at 7-6. “I think we could’ve brought each other up a bit more,” said junior catcher, Morgan Franklin, after the game. “We could’ve hit better with more encouragement from everyone on the team. [But], I think we’ll have a winning season and finish in the top places in our region, and hopefully qualify for state playoffs.”

On a more positive beginning to their season, the Junior Varsity Lady Raiders dominate the Lambert Longhorns. The team played a collective three innings before run-ruling the opposing team. Sophomore pitcher Ashton Bruce started the game. She slayed the first and second inning with a total of six strikeouts. Freshman Mackenzie Marvin pitched the final inning, giving up one run and ending the game at 1-16. “We did well,” said sophomore left-fielder Kamdyn Radake. “There were some mix-ups that ended up working in our favor. Overall, it was a great start to the season. If we all come together as a team, we can beat anybody.”

The second Varsity Lady Raider game was on August 13^th. Junior Sara King started pitching, allowing zero runs to score, and as the Lady Raiders came up to bat, the girls scored two runs. In the fourth inning, the Northview Lady Titans tied up the game. The score remained tied for another two innings, those filled with lucky plays (one specifically by sophomore Haley Simpson, who made a spectacular play in left field) and amazing hits (particularly junior Angelina Coleman’s almost-homerun that hit the fence and bounced back onto the field). In the sixth inning, the Varsity Lady Raiders scored two more runs and won the game with three easy outs in the last inning. The final score was 2-4, a close game for most of the evening.