Petal's starting pitcher Natalie Herrington put together one of the most dominant no-hitters in the Lady Panthers' 6-0 win over Greene County on Monday night.
The junior struck out 19 batters, faced just one above the minimum, and also struck out the side four times on the night. However, as she struck out the last batter of the game, Herrington did not show much emotion as she stepped out of the circle.
"That's her," Petal coach Wendy Hogue said. "That's Natalie. She is calm, cool and collected. No matter what the situation is. That's her demeanor.”
Herrington explained that's part of her mental approach and that she concentrated on developing her maturity inside the circle during the offseason. However, it's worth noting that Herrington threw a no-hitter last year against South Jones.
"I just think (my) age and maturity (is different compared to last year)," Herrington said. "Mentally, I'm a lot more focused and zoned in. A year difference from 15 to 16 is big for the mental game. I could get anxious, and I'm a lot calmer this year. My catcher and I have a close relationship, so she can calm me down. I just try not to get too anxious and nervous. There's a lot of nerves when you are younger, and I have kind of grown out of that.
"I'm so grateful for my team and them backing me up on defense. I just love the atmosphere here. I might not show it, but there is a lot of joy. I'm just not very expressive with it."
Her only flaw of the night happened in the first inning as she walked the game's second batter. The only other Greene County hitter to reach base occurred in the sixth inning after a strike three pitch got passed Petal's catcher, with the runner being beating out the throw to first base.
"I can always hit my spots better," Herrington said. "It's never perfect. I always miss a spot or two. Obviously, I don't want any walks, and you're are going to miss a spot. You never throw perfect, and I can always make adjustments."
Herrington kept Greene County's hitters off balance as she regularly swapped between her cutter and screwball and finished at-bats off with her rise ball. In her nine appearances on the season, Herrington has now struck out 81 batters.
"She has worked extremely hard," Hogue said. "Every year, she keeps getting a little better. The difference between this year and last year is a whole lot better. When the season got taken away from us last year, and she worked extremely hard. She looks good and does well for us.
"She is confident right now, and the team is playing well behind her, so she is confident throwing those pitches in there."
In the batter's box, Petal totaled pulled together seven hits and scored runs in the second, third, fifth and sixth innings. The Lady Panthers' base running created several problems for Greene County as Petal stole four bases on the night. The aggressive base running led to Greene County committing four errors.
"We want to be fast," Hogue said. "(Stealing) doesn't always work out, but that is part of our game plan; to turn it on the bases and cause some ruckus. We talk about the next 60 feet. However, you can get there."
In the second inning, Kate Sanford got Petal on the board with a two-run RBI single. Kinley Hogue followed with an RBI single in the third. Two more runs scored in the fifth inning, with Hannah Blythe Foil hitting an RBI single and another run scoring on a throwing error. The final run of the night scored on a passed ball in the sixth inning.
Herrington reached bases three out of four times on the night as she drew a walk and hit a double and single. Kinley Hogue, Maddie Shae Lazenby and Hannah Blythe Foil all finished 1-for-3, with Jordan Cobb finishing 1-for-4.
