Pair has Piedmont primed
- Updated: March 17, 2015
Pressley, Roberts formidable combination for Lady Bulldogs
Piedmont’s Kendall Pressley (L) and Torre Roberts have been playing ball since they were 3 and on the same teams since they were 8. (Photo by Brant Locklier)
By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today
The Piedmont Lady Bulldogs softball team of coach Rachel Smith is a typical Piedmont athletic team in that it plays a tough schedule and will battle and battle and not give in to whomever is in the other dugout.
The Class 3A team has played 6A and 7A schools Gadsden City, Smiths Station, Pell City, Wetumpka and No. 1 ranked Southside amidst all the rainouts and cold weather and been in almost every game.
Their mark has been great pitching and timely hitting as they wait on a 3A schedule and their bats to warm up in the second half of the season. The stout pitching has been led by lefty Kendall Pressley and the hitting has been led by Pressley and shortstop Torre Roberts.
The two juniors have been playing on the same team since they were 8 years old and have formed quite a bond over the years.
“I have been playing ball since I was 3 years old,” Pressley said. “I started with tee ball and kind of worked my way up from there.”
“I have been playing since I was about 3 years old and playing boys baseball and tee ball,” Roberts said. “I really enjoy it.”
Pressley’s pitching skills have been honed by former Jacksonville State pitcher Hillary Phillips and she has developed an assortment of pitches. At the plate she has one of the smoothest swings of any left-handed hitter in the county. She has tremendous power and can also go to the opposite field.
Roberts is one of the best fielding shortstops around and makes plays all over the field. She swings a hot bat and runs the bases aggressively, stealing as many bases as she can.
“I love to play shortstop and I love to get dirty,” she said. “My goal in each game is to get dirty because I feel like if I am not getting dirty then I have not really given an all-out effort. If I need to get dirty to get a ball or get to the next base that is what I will do.
“I want to steal the next base and I have to get there because my team needs me. I love to steal bases. I love fielding and playing in the field more than hitting.”
Both girls have their eyes set on an Area and Region championship. The tough schedule and the heart this Piedmont team has certainly indicate the goals of Pressley and Roberts have every chance of being achieved sooner than later.
Pleasant Valley 6, Ranburne 0
JACKSONVILLE — Anna Bryant fired a shutout behind some fine defensive play as the Lady Raiders improved to 8-5.
Tiffany Williams led the way at the plate going 3-for-3 with a walk and scoring two runs. Cheyenne Griffith went 3-for-4 and Savannah Williams had a double, two RBIs and scored a run.
Bryant helped her cause with a double, two RBIs and a run, while Kara Perry, Taylor Williams and Alisa St. John all had hits. Atleigh Brannon drew a walk and had an RBI.
The Lady Raiders were playing without clean-up hitter McKinley Parris who suffered a broken nose last weekend in a tournament at Oxford Lake. They hope she will be back for their Thursday game at Wellborn.
Softball coaches, to report your game results or potential story ideas to the writers of East Alabama Sports Today, text 256-239-6715 or email musky@wrightmediacorp.com. East Alabama Sports Today is a free website dedicated to quality coverage of sports in and around Calhoun County.
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