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Softball roundup: Coosa wins,
gains steam for region tourney
by Rome News-Tribune Staff reports
Coosa pitcher Holly Burnes saw to it
that the Lady Eagles’ best-ever regular season ended in fitting fashion.
Burnes tossed a five-hit shutout and rang up 12 strikeouts Tuesday
to help Coosa post a 2-0 victory over Temple in
the regular-season finale for both teams.The
7-AA win, highlighted by Ieisha Alexander’s
solo homer in the sixth inning, gave the Lady Eagles a 9-2 region record.
They finished 13-3 overall, and will be the No. 2 seed at the 7-AA tournament.Coosa will receive a first-round bye, and
will get into tournament action on Monday at Hamilton Crossing in
Adairsville. Last season, the Lady Eagles missed the tournament after
they suffered a loss in the play-in round. “It feels great to be going in
as a high seed,” said Coosa coach Josh Agan. “All of the girls on this year’s team were with
us last year when we didn’t make it. So they understand how special this
is.” The four teams that make the 7-AA semifinals will qualify for the
state sectionals, and Coosa is considered among
the favorites to do so. “We’re excited,” said Agan.
“The girls are enjoying (the success).”
Coosa saluted its seniors — Hannah Graham, Angela Little, Norie Cescutti, Haley Couey and Alexander — during a postgame
ceremony on Tuesday. The seniors have played a huge role in Coosa’s memorable season.
“Getting the No. 2 seed says a lot for
this team,” said Agan. “They have showed all
season that they just don’t get down.”
Lady Eagles Stun Rockmart
By Rome News Tribune Staff Reports
The Coosa girls
basketball team made a habit of slaying giants last winter. On Thursday,
the Lady Eagles softball team got in on the act. Fueled by a superb
all-around effort from Holly Burnes, the Lady
Eagles rolled to a stunning 7-0 win over host Rockmart in a 7-AA contest.
It was Rockmart’s first regular-season loss to a region opponent in more
than five years, and dropped the Lady Jackets to 13-4-1 overall. Burnes did a little bit of everything — including
tossing a shutout and launching a two-run homer — during the victory,
which pushed Coosa to 10-3 overall and 6-2 in
the region. Burnes completed the win in strong
fashion by retiring 10 consecutive hitters, including rolling up six
strikeouts in that stretch.
Shelby Boyd led the offense with three
hits, and four Coosa players added two hits
each. They were: Hannah Graham, Angela Little, Taylor Cannon and Burnes.Burnes issued one walk and finished with six
strikeouts.
Several members of Coosa’s
softball team — including Little, Graham, Ieshia
Alexander, and Haley Couey — also had starring
roles last season for the Coosa basketball
team, which downed long-time nemesis Model, Armuchee
and GAC.
Coosa falls to Calhoun
Despite great pitching by Holly Burnes, the Lady Eagles fell to Calhoun 4-1 on
Thursday. Unlike the previous
contest against Calhoun, the Eagles were able to put together 4 hits and
a run.
Little lifts Coosa to 10-1 win over Model
by From Rome
News-Tribune staff reports and Coosa Website Staff.
Coosa’s softball team is still keeping its chin up.
The Lady Eagles’ offense worked Wednesday to pick them up
after their first Region 7-AA loss and led them to a 10-1 home win over
Model. 
The victory, which was called after five innings, came a day
after Coosa dropped a contest to region opponent Dade County. Angela
Little was the catalyst for the Lady Eagles as she went 2-for-3 with a
triple and four RBIs .Both Norrie Cescutti and
Hannah Graham contributed at the plate by going 2-for-3 as well and
scoring two runs each.
Laura Heida led Model by going
2-for-2 with a run scored while Stacia Williams
hit her in the bottom of the fourth. Angela, a senior 1st
baseman, has constantly “stepped up to the plate” during her last 4 years
at Coosa to lead the Lady Eagles.
Coach Agan’s leadership and guidance
have helped propel Coosa to the next level as evidenced with players like
Little.
Lady Eagles Down Pepperell
By David Dawson, Rome
News-Tribune, Photographs, Rome News-Tribune
Seventh-inning rallies
have suddenly become a trend for the Coosa softball team — and Hannah
Graham is the primary force behind the fad. The senior catcher, who is
batting over .650 on the season, came through with a tie-breaking two-run
double in the top of the seventh on Thursday to help Coosa earn an 8-3
victory over host Pepperell in a 7-AA contest.
Graham’s hit, her second of the day,
sparked a five-run rally by the Lady Eagles, who erased an early 3-0
deficit on their way to improving to 7-1 overall and 3-0 in region play.“When I was batting, I tried not to listen to
what anybody was saying  in the (stands) or in the dugout,” said Graham. “I was just
listening to myself and blocking out everything else.”It
was Graham’s second clutch hit in the span of one week. Last Thursday,
she delivered a seventh-inning single that ignited a four-run rally
during Coosa’s 7-6 comeback win over Sonoraville.“Hannah
is just a base-hit hitter, and that’s exactly want you want to see as a
coach,” said Coosa coach Josh Agan. “She doesn’t try to kill the ball.
She just puts it in play. … And I felt really good having her up in that
spot today.”
Thursday’s game was tied at 3-3 before
Coosa put together it’s game-changing rally, which was set in motion when
Sydney Storey drew a leadoff walk and Shelby Boyd followed with a one-out
bunt single.
Graham then delivered her double to give
Coosa the lead, and the Lady Eagles added three more insurance runs on Ieisha Alexander’s RBI single and Norie
Cescutti’s two-run, two-out single.
“This is definitely the best team we’ve
had while I’ve played at Coosa,” said Graham. “And today’s game was a
good (demonstration) of what we’ve been doing this year and how we have
pulled together.”
Cescutti finished 2-for-3, and Taylor Cannon was 1-for-4 with a
two-run double for the Lady Eagles. Boyd, Angela Little, and Alexander
had one hit each.“I know this team can score
runs,” said Agan, “but I wish we’d start doing it a little sooner. This
(last-inning drama) is turning me into an old man quick.”Coosa
pitcher Holly Burnes went the distance for the
win, and struck out seven. She surrendered three runs in the third
inning, but finished strong by allowing just two hits over the final four
innings.Cassadee Ainsworth took the loss for
the Lady Dragons, who defeated Murray County on Wednesday but couldn’t
sustain the momentum against Coosa.“It’s
disappointing,” said Pepperell catcher Elliza
Casey. “We were excited when we took the lead today … but we just made
too many errors.”
Pepperell’s Rachael Wright had a two-run
double during the Dragons’ three-run third inning, and Emma Horne, the
team’s lone senior, finished with two hits and made a pair of defensive
gems.
Horne threw out a runner at first base to
complete a double play in the second inning, and made a terrific running
grab in shallow center field to save a run in the seventh.
Lady Eagles finish Third in  Model Classic
The Coosa Eagle Softball team took 3rd
place in the Model Classic this past weekend. The Eagles went 4-1 in the tournament
and finished up with a 7-4 win over Pepperell.  Catcher Hannah Graham made the final play of the game by
tagging out Cassadee Ainsworth at the plate.
The Eagles had a very successful tournament by defeating Model 20-0,
Darlington 14-0, Cartersville 12-0, and Pepperell 7-4. The Eagles only classic loss came to
tournament champion Woodland 0-7.
The Eagles other loss came against Sonoraville
in a non-counting game with both teams using rosters made up primarily of
reserve players. The Lady Eagles were scheduled to play in the
consolation game but 4th place Trion was unable to stay for
the contest.
Lady Eagles softball stays on roll
by Rome
News-Tribune Staff reports
The Coosa
High softball team got the regular season off to a good start last
weekend. Thursday, the Lady Eagles got region play off to a good start
when they defeated hosting Chattooga 16-7 in a 7-AA matchup.
“I didn’t know we could hit as well as we’ve been doing,” Coosa coach
Josh Agan said. “We’ve been doing all the little things right.”
During last weekend’s Model Lady Blue Devils Classic, the Lady Eagles
scored 54 runs in five games. In one of those games, they we’re shut out.
In Thursday’s game, Holly Burnes threw four
innings for the win, and Norie Cescutti pitched the remaining three.
Hannah Graham was 5-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and four runs
scored, Angela Little was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, Shelby Boyd hit twice
and knocked in two runs and Burnes added two
hits.
The Lady Eagles will next host Model on Tuesday in another region game.
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