Now is a good time to be a Lady Raider.
The reigning district champs won four of their first five regular-season games, and they’ve done it with the hottest bats in the Plant City area. Averaging 14 runs per contest, they’d outscored opponents 60-1 — including two shutout wins — before the Wednesday, Feb. 17, home game against Plant High. Going back to the team’s two preseason contests, both wins, it scored 87 runs in about four weeks.
As many expected before the season, junior Edmilly Molina is leading the way at the plate. Molina has been the only Lady Raider with at least 10 at-bats hitting above .500. Her .526 average, along with her 10 hits, 12 RBI and three doubles, are all team-leading marks.
With the exception of sophomore Rebekah Schulte, the senior and junior classes have been responsible for most of the team’s offense. Senior Allison Watson, batting .450, is not far behind Molina in hits (nine) and runs scored (eight); senior Rebecca Sorenson and junior Tori Garrison are each batting .375, and senior Morgan Slater, batting .357, leads the team with 11 runs scored.
Schulte, batting .421, is doing her part with eight runs scored, six RBI, one of Plant City’s three home runs and a team-leading two triples. Fellow sophomore Alexis Moore is also making the most of her plate appearances, hitting .429 in seven at-bats.
Before the season began, it was speculated that senior Alexis Williams would take over Noelle Dietrich’s workload. While Williams has seen some action this season, freshman Ashley Blessin seems to have pitched her way into the ace role.
Blessin, last week’s Athlete of the Week, won four of her five starts (preseason included) and, while striking out 39 batters, has held opponents to an 0.92 batting average. She currently has a 2.33 ERA, and has given up four home runs, but has shown the potential to become the Lady Raiders’ rock for the next few years.
The only knock against the Lady Raiders comes from their 5-3 loss at Durant Feb. 12. After holding a 1-0 lead for most of the game, a late meltdown allowed the Lady Cougars to score five runs in the final two innings — including a four-run seventh. Blessin, who pitched a complete game, took the loss, finishing with 11 batters struck out and all five earned runs.
Durant’s Bayli Johns was the hero of the day, driving in three RBI in four at-bats and scoring two runs.
Plant City will look to rebound, now that it’s entered a stretch of four 8A-6 matchups in the next five games. That includes a March 1 rematch with the Lady Cougars, which appears to be a must-watch game for fans of both squads.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.