CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville High Wildcats softball team traveled across Warfield Boulevard for a rivalry matchup at Rossview High on Monday. A low-scoring affair for four innings was broken open in the fifth, and some late scoring powered the Wildcats to an 8-4 win.
Early on, Clarksville scratched one run across in the top of the first, but no one else scored for four and a half innings as both starting pitchers, Clarksville’s Johanna Williams and Rossview’s Madelyn Fillers, were dealing. Finally, in the top of the fifth, the Wildcats’ offense erupted for four runs and took a commanding 5-0 lead.
“This was two really good teams going at it,” said Wildcats head coach Brian Rush. “The score was 1-0 for a while, and honestly, that’s not what I had expected being so low scoring. We made some key hits at the right time. We’ve got a lot of young kids in our lineup, and the more times they get to hit, the better they will be throughout the game.”
Rossview would not go quietly, and responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth. Fillers led the Hawks’ offense with three hits and an RBI in four at-bats. However, the Wildcats scratched across three more in the sixth and seventh, led by two RBIs on two hits from Mackenzie White, and the Hawks couldn’t respond, falling 8-4 on their home field.
“I’ll be honest, I hate losing,” said Hawks head coach Travis Gilette. “However, at the same time, we came into this and got better. We’ve struggled offensively, but the girls are receptive and are beginning to make adjustments. If we keep getting better day by day towards the postseason, we will be all right.”
As for the Wildcats, it’s a huge win in a competitive District 13-4A. Coach Rush knows that night in and night out, it’s going to be a dog fight.
“Our district is very good this year, you’re never gonna get an easy game,” said Rush. “You’re in these battles, but they will make you better. It doesn’t get any easier, and between all of us, it’s gonna be a fun finish to this regular season, and a great tournament.”
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