CRESTVIEW — It might take a year or two before first-year Crestview High School softball Coach Holly Gibson gets the young Bulldog team where she wants it to be.
Tate, Crestview’s District 1-7A opponent Tuesday, is already there and serves as a measuring stick of sorts for Crestview’s rebuilding program.
The Aggie roster is dominated with juniors and seniors. The Bulldog roster has one senior and half the players are freshmen or sophomores.
Crestview-Tate softball photos>>>
Tate’s maturity and experience was on display as the Aggies took advantage of numerous Bulldog miscues to take a 10-0 win.
Crestview junior pitcher Taylor Rolison turned in another strong performance striking out a dozen Tate batters. But Aggie batters also were able to put the bat on the ball as they connected for 11 hits.
Tate pitcher Tori Perkins was even in more impressive. Perkins held the Bulldogs (7-3. 4-3) to one hit and struck out 14 Crestview batters.
“We’ve got to hit the ball,” Gibson said. “We were in it until the fifth, but error, error, error killed us.
“If you can’t hit the ball you can’t win. We are young and we swung at some bad pitches. We’ve just got to work.”
About the only kink in Perkins’ armor was her control that was spotty at times. Perkins did walk five Bulldog batters.
The Aggies (13-1, 5-1) gave Perkins all the run support she would need when they scratched a run across the plate in the third inning.
Casey McCrackin singled, stole second and scored on a Rachel Wright single.
Tate added two runs in the fourth, two more in the sixth and five in the seventh.
Errors aided the Aggies in the fourth and seventh.
Crestview’s biggest threat came in the first inning when Taylor Henderson and Rolison drew walks.
Henderson was the only Bulldog base runner to reach second base in the first five innings.
Taylor Bumgardner picked up Crestview’s only hit in the sixth inning. She moved to second on a passed ball. Savannah Mason walked and took second on a passed ball in the seventh inning.
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Young Crestview squad struggles against Tate (PHOTOS, VIDEO)