After a hard first game yesterday the Lady Cougars came out today just as I expected them to, ready to fight.  After a tough loss it would have been easy for any team to simply settle the next game.  However, the Lady Cougars came out and showed their heart today.  The game started with the Lady Chargers scoring first in the top of the first inning.  However, the Lady Cougars answered that run plus added two more.  The next three innings the Lady Cougars played strong defense in order to back up junior pitcher Ashley Sheffield.  Sheffield had another outstanding performance, giving up only 1 walk and just 1 hit in five innings of play.  The Lady Cougars were not finished scoring though, adding 2 runs in the second and 3 in the third.  Defensively, junior left fielder Mary Lacy Knapp proved to be a valuable asset with a great play in left, while senior center fielder Ashley Scott had a great play of her own.  Another player that should be recognized defensively is sophomore Brittany Flowers.  Having never played second before she stepped up to the challenge and did a wonderful job making several plays look routine.  Offensively we were smart and took advantage of any pitching errors in order to receive several walks.  Junior Laura Ashley had a hard hit ball to center that grabbed the first RBI of the season and junior Kelsey Hickman picked up her first triple of the season.  I was incredibly proud of the girls today.  They learned from the mistakes they made yesterday and played with great heart.  As a team we strive to improve each game and always play with a purpose, and that purpose is to honor the Lord.