(Photo by Batesburg-Leesville softball) – Kate Shealy and Ainsley Minchew of Batesburg-Leesville
By Thomas Grant Jr.
Batesburg-Leesville softball and head coach Amber Hartley are having a turnaround season.
Led by the sophomore duo of Kate Shealy and Gilbert transfer Ainsley Minchew, the Lady Panthers are sporting their best record in seven years and quadrupled last year’s winning total.
They had a 11-1 overall record and held first place in Region 2-2A at 5-1 entering Tuesday’s showdown with Ninety-Six.
Batesburg-Leesville looked to avenge that lone loss to the Ladycats on March 20 by an 11-4 score. It had a ½ lead over Ninety-Six and Saluda and were riding a 5-game winning streak.
The Ninety-Six loss was also the only setback in 11 outings this season for Minchew. At 10-1, the hard-throwing junior leads the team with 113 strikeouts and recently surpassed 500 for her career.
Minchew has recorded 17 strikeouts in two of her last three games.
Teammate Kate Shealy also reached personal milestones. She not only surpassed 10 career home runs, but also earned her 50th RBI. This past week, she was 6-7 with three home runs and 11 RBI in wins over Strom Thurmond and Saluda.
