by Eric Loudermilk
With a region record of 5-4 and an overall record of 9-8, including the Diamond Classic Tournament in which they participated at the beginning of the season, Chamblee needs to be nearly perfect for the rest of the season and win the remainder of their regional games to prepare for the post season.
“We’re definitely going to the playoffs,” said head coach Terri Lake.
Awaiting them in state contention will be perennial powerhouse Marist, which boasts a perfect 5-0 region record and an impressive 15-6 overall record and defeated the Bulldogs on September 18 in an 8-0 victory. Chamblee looks to improve upon last year’s performance, where they were defeated by Westminster 2-12 in the region semifinal game.
“We’ve played most of our region games, such as those against Marist and Southwest DeKalb,” said short stop Jessica Sneed.
The Bulldogs started their regional run on a rocky note, with two losses sandwiched between two easy shutouts. On August 28, Chamblee obliterated Stone Mountain 24-0. However, the next two games proved more challenging, resulting in losses to Southwest DeKalb 5-11 on September 4 and North Springs 0-5 on September 5. The Bulldogs overcame this obstacle to defeat Miller Grove, outscoring them by 11 runs, who are currently 1-6 in the region.
On September 23, the Bulldogs almost logged a fourth shutout, defeating Lithonia 9-1 in five innings. In the two days following this game, Chamblee logged two more regional wins against Tucker and Lakeside. Both games were 8-0 shutouts.
“We need to learn how to shake things off,” said center fielder Jennifer Martin. “We also need to work at home and not just wait until practice.”
In order for Chamblee to have any chance in the playoffs, the number of errors needs to be greatly reduced.
“Our defense needs a lot of improvement; we have a lot of errors,” said Sneed. “That is where our losses come from.”
Critical errors have plagued Chamblee’s defense this season, which has been sub-par compared to the team’s hitting.
“We are county-rated for our batting,” said Sneed.
Chamblee has outscored their opponents 103-83 so far this season. A bright spot in Chamblee’s otherwise unseasoned defense has been pitcher Erin Bell, who is currently ranked fourth in the country in her position. Bell has pitched five shutouts so far this season, four of those coming in regional games.
“We have an unstoppable pitcher in Bell,” said Lake. “She’s the most solid player out there, always consistent; I can always count on her.”