Canton Softball Takes Down Athens, 6-2

Solid in the field and at the plate, Canton picked up its first district victory of the season Friday afternoon, 6-2 over Athens.

Winning pitcher Lauren Fedor held Athens to just one run through the first five innings, and then gave way to Cindy Ferrell, who shut down the Lady Hornets’ rally bid in the sixth.

"This was a very good win for us, because they (Athens) are supposed to be one of the top three teams in the district," Canton coach Aaron Slider said. "Anytime you play well and win, it is a big boost of confidence."

Canton (8-11, 1-2 District 14-3A) broke a 1-1 tie in the third with a three-run burst spurred with excellent baserunning. The Eaglettes were successful twice in that inning with the decoy double steal play at first and third to move the second runner into scoring position.

From there, Canton had the bases-loaded carousel going to jump out on top.

"That is something we’ve worked on in practice off and on. We haven’t had many opportunities to use it," Slider said of the baserunning play. "but today that chance came around and we were successful with it."

He also praised the team’s defensive effort and the work of Fedor and Ferrell in the pitcher’s circle.

"Fedor moves her pitches around and her speeds are different enough to keep opposing batters guessing a lot," Slider said. "Cindy Ferrell came in late and did what she needed to do for the team.

Offensively, Maegan Spears led the way scoring three runs and going 2-for-2 at the plate. Samantha Reid also finished 2-for-2.

Jessica Marshburn, Fedor, Ferrell and Emily Sterling contributed one base hit each.

The Eaglettes played at Brownsboro on Tuesday and return home Friday to host Van.