Lady Dragons softball surging behind youthful core, big bats
As the 2025 season rolls on, Clinton High School softball Coach Leonard Sams is pleased with the Lady Dragons’ progress.
He admits, however, that the team still has room to grow.
Clinton entered the week with a 16-6 overall record and opened District 4-AAA play with three straight wins.
The Lady Dragons edged rival Anderson County 3-1 on Tuesday, March 25, avenging a 3-2 tournament loss to the Lady Mavericks the previous week.
“We hit the ball last week, and our pitching and defense are starting to come around,” Sams said. “We still have a very, very young team. You look out there and you have four sophomores and two freshmen on the field almost all the time.
“I’m happy with where we’re at right now, but we still have a lot of work to do and a long way to go,” he said.
In the district opener, Taylor Sherwood went 1-for-3 and scored twice, while Mandy Chambers was 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and two RBIs.
Lynlee Adkins and Elizabeth Maples each went 1-for-3. Maples also tossed a complete game, surrendering one run on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
On Wednesday, March 26, Clinton outlasted Christian Academy of Knoxville 10-8 in a slugfest.
The Lady Warriors rallied from a 6-0 deficit in the third inning before the Lady Dragons pulled away.
Norah Elliott went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Chambers was 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Bryana Holt doubled and drove in two runs, while Sara Bishop had a double, scored, and added two RBIs.
Clinton swept a district doubleheader against Scott Thursday, taking the opener 16-2 and the nightcap 9-1.
In Game 1, Holt went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run, while Adkins doubled and scored.
Sherwood had a hit, scored, and stole three bases. Bishop had three hits, including a double, scored three times, and stole three bases.
McKenley Osborne went 2-for-4 with a double, three stolen bases, a run scored and an RBI.
Elizabeth Graham went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs, and three RBIs.
Addison George pitched a complete game and struck out eight over five innings.
In Game 2, Tegan Bunch went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run. Sherwood doubled, tripled and scored twice, while Maples tripled and scored. Sherwood also earned the win in the circle, allowing one run on seven hits with six strikeouts in five innings.
Clinton opened a weekend tournament on Friday with a 3-0 loss to Volunteer, but bounced back with a 4-2 win over Greeneville. Adkins had two hits and an RBI. Chambers added two hits and a run batted in. Sherwood went 1-for-3 with an RBI and scored twice.
The Lady Dragons won three more games on Saturday, starting with a 9-0 shutout of Crestwood. Sherwood went 2-for-2 with three runs and a stolen base. Bishop had a hit, two RBIs, a stolen base and two runs scored. Adkins added two doubles and two RBIs.
In a 5-4 win over Cookeville, Adkins had two hits, including a double, and scored once.
Holt capped Clinton’s final win of the weekend with a two-run homer and two hits. She also homered in a 5-4 loss to Greenbrier. Holt and Graham each had two hits, two RBIs and scored once.
