Pitch Perfect!

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND – Perfection. The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines perfection as “… an exemplification of supreme excellence; an unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence.”

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, Grapeland Sandiette softball fans were able to see an example of perfection in the pitcher’s circle as Cadie Belle Currie pitched a perfect game against the La Poyner Lady Flyers.

She faced 15 batters and retired 15. Only two Lady Flyers were able to make solid contact with the ball and those two were gobbled up at third base by Hailee Sheridan and at second by Maddie McCombs.

Quite frankly, the outfielders were bored. Shortstop Taylar Mullen could have taken a nap on the infield dirt (not recommended). Other than the two throws to first, first baseman Madison Holbrook could have pulled out her phone and started texting the outfielders.

The only other person who was as busy as Currie was Meaghan Holbrook behind the plate.

No hits. No walks. No errors. No runs. Perfect!

Oh and she benefitted from strong run support as the Sandiettes put up 16 runs using a combination of “small ball” and timely base knocks.

After the game, the freshman phenom said she didn’t think about what she was doing.

“I was just executing pitches. I didn’t even realize I was getting close until the last two or three outs,” Currie said.

When asked what pitches seemed to be working best for her, Currie said it was her curveball and a knuckle change, which she said had only been in her repertoire since last Monday.

Asked for her thoughts on the perfect game, Currie replied, “It’s very exciting! I’ve always wanted to play in high school. It’s a lot of fun. I like the girls on my team and we like each other, I think.”

“We had some really good plays on defense,” she added. “So far, even though we’ve only played 10 or 15 games (including scrimmages) they have made a lot of great plays. They have really helped me and made some really tough outs. I’m really proud of them for that.”

Softball Head Coach Joel Barbosa was also asked for his thoughts on the perfecto.

“I’ve been watching her pitch for over a year now. I’ve known she was coming up and really – I’m not surprised. I’ve seen what she can do. She is going to be a really good pitcher. She will be hard to hit,” the coach said.

Barbosa also remarked on her performance at the plate.

“I think that is one of the nicest surprises about her. We knew she could throw but then we started working on her hitting. I’ve been around this game for a while now and I can spot a kid who has talent. She worked on some things in the offseason which is kind of ironic because I knew she could throw, I just wanted her to be able to hit. We needed her in the lineup,” he explained.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected]

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