|
All along, Coach Lynn Gilbert expected
one Skinner to figure heavily into her Manchester High spring softball
plans.
Instead, there were two.
Junior outfielder Erica Skinner was counted on. Freshman pitcher Lesley
Skinner became the bonus sister.
"I call her 'Little Skinner,'" Gilbert said, "but she calls herself 'The
Tank.' She thinks she's tough."
In her case, tough was spelled with a 1.30 earned-run average and
back-to-back gems in the Dominion District tournament.
"Little Skinner stepped up and controlled both games," Gilbert said of the
two-hitter in a 1-0 win over Clover Hill and a five-hitter in a 3-2 win over
Midlothian.
There was maybe a half hour between games.
In what amounted to emergency fill-in duty, Lesley earned all-Dominion
District honors while leading the Lancers to the district title and the
Central Region semifinals.
"I'm so proud of that kid," Gilbert said. "She turned a lot around."
With a proven, returning cast, Gilbert had banked on having a potent squad
this spring.
What she hadn't figured was that junior Jordan Hendricks, the starting
pitcher as a freshman and sophomore, wouldn't return for personal reasons.
That's when Gilbert asked for volunteers, and Skinner's right arm shot into
the sky.
"She's just a little-bitty thing maybe 115 pounds," Gilbert said. "And
facing varsity hitters is a big step up from playing in the U-14 travel
league. These 18-year-old girls don't chase the bad pitches."
Skinner, described by Gilbert as a "finesse pitcher," wasn't an overnight
success. She twisted an ankle during the preseason drills and missed much of
the first month of action.
"As it turned out, we won 13 games and she was responsible for 12," Gilbert
said.
Skinner shared all-district honors with Emily Ash of Clover Hill and L.C.
Bird's Megan Cobb.
Skinner benefited from the defense, that included Erica, a second-team
all-district performer in right field.
"Erica was phenomenal," Gilbert said. "In the past, she always played
basketball and had sore ankles when she came out for softball. This year,
she was healthy and she made some great plays."
The future is bright. Only center fielder Jessica Pickett, a
hitting/fielding star of the postseason, was a senior.
Both Erica and Lesley Skinner play travel ball for the Thunderstix, coached
by their father, Tommy Skinner, who remains a slugging standout for the
Tomahawk Baptist slow-pitch team.
Next year's returning cast also includes this year's designated hitter,
freshman Abbie Hendricks. Gilbert hasn't latched the gate on a senior
comeback by Jordan Hendricks.
"I'd welcome her," Gilbert said. "Then, we'd have a two-girl pitching
situation -- with a starter and closer -- like Hanover and Midlothian."
|
