The Tallassee softball team went nearly a week without seeing competition when the Tigers entered the Central Phenix City tournament Saturday. Rain had postponed multiple games already and the tournament had to take on a new format after Friday’s games were canceled.
The long layoff did not seem to have an effect on Tallassee as it went undefeated in three games and leading the way was Lexi Love. She led the Tigers in batting average, RBIs and on-base plus slugging percentage Saturday. She didn’t miss a beat from her big performances on the opening weekend and she is the Elmore County Player of the Week.
“It’s hard not practicing on the field so it was pretty tough,” Love said. “But we got a good practice in on Friday and when it does rain, we are hitting inside and in the weight room.”
That extra time away from the field has turned into a positive for Love so far. After hitting two home runs in the first four games, Love added another one Saturday as she smashed a grand slam in a 13-0 win over Beulah to cap off the weekend.
“She has always had power and she always hits them in spurts,” Tallassee coach Pat Love said. “She has shown it in practice though so it is not a surprise. When she gets that separation and connects with the ball, it has a chance to go out.”
Lexi Love finished the weekend with four hits in just six at-bats and knocked in five runs. She now has a .667 batting average through seven games and is averaging a homer every five at-bats.
Being a key part of Tallassee’s offense is nothing new for Love but she is hoping to continue this stretch to take things to another level this season. Love said she changed her swing a little bit in the offseason and it’s helping.
“I have been working really hard on my swing,” Love said. “I was expecting to hit it harder this year.”
The Tigers have needed Love to step up even more in the first two weeks as a key part of their offense, Chloe Baynes, is for the season after suffering an injury in the first tournament. The coaching staff talks about other people stepping up every day and so far, Love has filled that role.
“I have tried to step up more,” Love said. “(Baynes) is one of our best hitters and one of our highest batting averages. It’s been tough without her bat and her speed but also just without her as a person.”
Without having Baynes in front of her in the lineup, Love may not see as many chances with runners on base as she did last season. However, Love knows it is not all about knocking in the runs as she continues to search for any way to get on base and pass the bat along to the next player.
Love got to do just that against Sparkman in the first game of the tournament when she got just one hit but reached base two more times on walks. In seven games this season, she has walked five times while striking out just once.
“That’s very important to us,” coach Love said. “You only want to hit your pitch and we pride ourselves on that. We don’t want to chase anything.”
While reaching base will always be important, the Tigers certainly will not mind seeing Lexi Love put more balls over the fence this season. After hitting seven home runs last season, Love seems to be on her way to setting a new career mark but she does not have a goal in mind.
“I haven’t really thought about it because if I do, I won’t hit well,” Love said. “I just try to relax and let it take care of itself.”