Marion softball rides pitching, Whitley twins’ home runs to win

As Marion County softball prepares to make a real run in Region 4-A, the Lady Eagles’ game Thursday showed all the elements they need to do just that.

The Eagles came through in all aspects of its 5-2 victory over region rival Taylor County. Sophomore pitcher Britney Foster was sharp through seven innings, notching 15 strikeouts thanks in large part to her command and her screwball. The offense began the game on fire thanks to junior catcher Ashley Whitley, who hit a leadoff home run. Two batters later, her twin sister Ansley slammed a softball over the fence as well.

It was just that kind of game for Marion County.

“It was really nice,” said Foster, who is in her first season pitching for Marion. “I just felt accomplished. The team has really had my back the whole summer. That Taylor County game, the defense and the hitting helped a lot.”

The hitting Foster mentioned came in large part from the Whitley twins, who were a combined 8-for-8 in the victory. Ansley said Ashley’s blast to open the game was only her second of the season. Ever the competitor, Ansley was happy for her sister but admitted she took the home run as a challenge.

“It kind of caught me off guard,” Ansley said. “I guess I got a little jealous when I came up. I couldn’t let her win. I tried so hard to hit a home run, I’m not going to lie.”

Ashley said the competitiveness between the sisters touches all aspects of play, whether it’s who’s the fastest or who delivers the most RBIs. Marion County head coach David Wells said that drive carries over to the entire team, which can be beneficial in the Lady Eagles’ quest to be the best.

“Everybody’s trying to beat everybody else,” Ashley said. “It really raises the bar.”

Marion County sits 6-2 on the young season but got a good look at its potential against Taylor County. Foster’s offseason work left her pitching hard to handle, and the offense’s explosiveness was evident within three at-bats.

The Lady Eagles have the talent in players like Foster and the Whitley sisters to make games like Thursday’s a common occurrence. According to Ansley, Marion County’s future opponents may have already learned as much.

“We saw there were other teams in the stands watching our game,” Ansley said. “You see them get that look in their eyes, and you feel like you’re the big dogs on top. It builds momentum and gets our whole team going.”

This story was originally published August 22, 2017 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Marion softball rides pitching, Whitley twins’ home runs to win."