Green Wave softball coach Heather Tucker is hoping Monday’s win over Hanahan is a sign of things to come.
Summerville had to rally to earn the 8-7 win, but that’s just fine with Tucker.
“The past couple of years we haven’t really made a lot of comebacks,” she explained. “If we got up on a team we were usually fine, but as soon as a team got up on us we were pretty much done. Tonight we went back and fourth. We kept coming back and coming back. I’m hoping this will help us build our confidence so we know if we do get down we should have some faith in ourselves because our sticks can come through.”
The Wave made a clean run through the region last year to get top seeding for the playoffs. Then it lost its first two playoff games to be eliminated. This year Tucker is hoping to shake things up and avoid a similar fate.
“We have a lot of the same kids coming back, but we are trying to approach things a little different and have a different mind set,” she said. “On paper we have a good team, but I’m not putting the cart before the horse. We are taking it one game at a time and seeing what things go well and what things we need to work on. There have been other years when we looked good on paper, but then didn’t come through.”
The team only lost one player to graduation, second baseman Jordan Blanton. Returning to the team are Haley Herndon, Malori Myers, Sarah Montei, Nicole Seavey, Rochella Lyda, Alexa Ritchie, Kaitlyn Clark, Tricia Sizemore, Kasie Fowler and Ashley Muckelvaney.
Myers was and is the team’s primary pitcher and Muckelvaney its leadoff hitter. A few eligible players from last year’s squad didn’t return, which means Tucker is looking for others to contribute or play a larger role.
One returner who has answered that call early this season is Fowler, who is a sophomore.
During Monday’s season opener, Hanahan took its fourth lead of the game in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the frame, Montei and Ritchie reached on singles to bring Fowler to the plate. With one out, Fowler smacked a double to the left-center field fence to drive in the two base runners and return the lead to the Wave for good.
Fowler finished 2-for-4 at the plate with the two RBIs. Muckelvaney, Meyers and Montei were also 2-for-4 at bat. Lyda drove in two runs with a single. Myers, who pitched six innings, picked up the win on the mound.
Tucker is hoping the additions of sophomores Melissa Hanna and Taylor Horton and seventh-grader Sarah Windham will help make the team more well-rounded and prepared for the playoffs.

Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com.