Lady Dragons host preseason scrimmage

It is always good to get in a final dress rehearsal before opening day, and the Pepperell Lady Dragons were able to do that Wednesday afternoon as they hosted Haralson County.

The Lady Dragons faced the Lady Rebels for a preseason scrimmage before the teams open the regular season and, despite a lightning delay, were able to get five full innings in to see where they were after a few weeks of practice.

“It was a good last tune-up for us,” said Pepperell head coach Jeff Rickman. “We saw some positives, and we saw some things we have to work on. But, overall, it was a good day, and I think both teams got a lot out of it.”

No official score was kept in the scrimmage, but Pepperell’s offense got off to a good start in the first inning as it plated a couple runs. Jolie Splendore came home to score on a triple by Morgan Willingham, and Willingham then crossed the plate as the throw got away on the relay back to the infield.

Along with Willingham’s triple and RBI, and Splendore’s run scored, Riley Nelson also had a strong day at the plate with two hits for the Lady Dragons.

Pepperell pitcher Caroline Morgan started the game in the circle and pitched two innings, while Chloe Stroud came on to work the last three innings.

With lightning in the area following the fifth, the head coaches decided to end the scrimmage early rather than waiting out another delay.

Despite not being able to complete a full seven innings, Rickman said he was pleased with what his team got accomplished as it goes into another season with high goals.

“This gave us a taste of the season,” said Rickman. “It’s good to put the uniforms on and compete like it is a real game. We’re looking forward to getting the season going and seeing what this team can do.”

Pepperell opened the regular season Thursday at Paulding County. It will next visit Floyd County foe Model next Wednesday for a non-region test starting at 5 p.m.