Photo By Michael AlexanderAlpharetta
Mercy Girls Avoid Shutout At King’s Ridge
By MICHAEL ALEXANDER, Staff Photographer | Published September 16, 2010
King’s Ridge Christian School, Alpharetta, defeated the girls softball team from Our Lady of Mercy High School, Fayetteville, 13-3 to keep Mercy winless on the road. But unlike its other road games, Mercy was not shut out in the Sept. 8 game because of its three-run fourth inning.
Mercy third baseman Ivori Douglas led off the fourth with a walk by King’s Ridge pitcher Heather Allen. Catcher Bryn Ambrose followed that up with a double to put runners on second and third.
“I try to do what I’m trained to do. I do it in practice, so I was just trying to swing away,” said Ambrose. Captain Beth Ann Krivanek’s single scored Mercy’s first run. Ambrose scored from third for the second run after a wild pitch by Allen. Mercy added its third and final run before the third out.
King’s Ridge scored two runs in the first and seven in the second. Mercy had its best defensive stand in the third. With a strikeout by sophomore Nadia Ponder and an alert play by Krivanek to double up the King’s Ridge base runner after catching an infield fly ball, King’s Ridge was held scoreless. King’s Ridge scored its final four runs in the fourth for its first win of the season.
Our Lady of Mercy High School third baseman Ivori Douglas charges in as she catches a fly ball in the infield. King’s Ridge Christian School, Alpharetta, defeated Mercy 13-3 in the Sept. 8 game. Photo By Michael Alexander
Mercy entered the contest with a one-game winning streak after its Sept. 2 win over Coretta Scott King Girls Leadership Academy, Atlanta. Ambrose had an inside-the-park grand slam and a home run to help seal the 13-2 victory.
Our Lady of Mercy softball is in a rebuilding season after the program was on hiatus for two years. Jennifer Cawley, who is also the school’s art teacher and yearbook advisor, is the head coach for this year’s team. Cawley is a 1987 graduate of St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, and a former softball (slow pitch) pitcher for the school’s 1986 and 1987 teams. Krivanek, a senior shortstop, lobbied athletic director Bill Schmitz and the school to get a team going again.
“We’re trying to prove we deserve a team. We hope to keep improving with each game,” said Krivanek.
The team is an amalgam of players with different skill levels.
“Several of the girls have never played before, but they’ve picked it up and are improving each time we get out on the field. I’m glad to be able to offer another opportunity for our students to participate in an extracurricular activity. It’s about giving everyone some playing time to gain confidence. That’s how you build a successful program,” added Cawley.