Lady Mustangs’ initial tourney trip cut short

By Jackson Maxwell

MURFREESBORO —  For Loretto, the first Class A softball state tournament appearance ended Wednesday as the Lady Mustangs fell short in a 1-0 defensive battle against Halls.

The game’s lone run scored in the top of the first inning as Halls converted a leadoff walk, a sacrifice bunt, a stolen base and an attempted double steal.

Starting pitcher Emily Cozart and relievers Carlee Urban and Adisen Buie combined to limit Halls to one hit.

Loretto, which lost 3-1 to Huntland in its tourney opener Wednesday, finished with six hits but stranded five runners in the shutout loss.

“When you go from hitting 65-plus (MPH) to upper- to mid-50s, that’s a hard change in a day,” Lady Mustangs coach Justin Tidwell said, referring to the challenge his offense faced in its two contests.

Shelby Fisher went 3-for-3 (two doubles) in the loss, with Darby Traglia adding another two hits. Fisher, a junior, will return as Loretto moves to Class AA for next year, while Traglia is one of the team’s two seniors along with Madelinn Tidwell — the coach’s daughter.

“Having those two has been a blessing,” he said. “They have actually played some way or somehow for me for the last eight years because they played travel ball for me earlier before I became the coach here. They have a lot to be proud of.”

As the program contemplates its move up, Tidwell considers this year’s success — the Lady Mustangs finished 19-16-1 — a stepping stone.

“We are a young team with lots of talent,” he said. “I’m OK with (Wednesday’s loss). I do see this as a stepping stone, as long as the girls continue to work, continue to play summer ball, get soe reps in and see some different situations.”

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