Chattanooga: Taylor’s no-hitter leads Gordon Lee

TRION, Ga. — Anyone new to the Gordon Lee High School softball program might have seen a 1-4 season record and wondered why no one was worried.

After all, the Lady Trojans, who returned every starter from a year ago, were expected to be a serious Class A state-title contender after back-to-back runner-up finishes. That experience, coupled with the team’s propensity for starting slow, are just two of the reasons there was no panic in Chickamauga.

Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Region 6-A rival Trion made the Lady Trojans 4-4 overall and 3-0 in the league after that one-win start against ranked, higher-classification teams.

“We’re still getting the kinks out, but we’ll be fine,” said pitcher Jonia Taylor, who faced just 22 batters in pitching a five-strikeout, no-walk no-hitter Tuesday. “We’ve got big plans for this season, so it’s not how you start that counts, it’s how you finish.”

Taylor’s gem — the only runner was via a third-inning error — took up the slack for an offense that still hasn’t found its groove. Gordon Lee managed just five hits off Trion pitcher Haven Hobbs and had to work hard for each of its runs.

Shauna Gallahar’s infield single plated courtesy runner Kendall Johnson with the game’s first run in the top of the second inning. The second run came in the sixth on a Hobbs wild pitch, with Holli Brooks sneaking in under the tag of Trion catcher Caitlyn Pettyjohn. The Lady Trojans left runners on base in every inning except the first.

“With the same team pretty much back, we know they can hit,” Gordon Lee coach Dana Mull said. “They’ll get there.”

While still waiting on the bats to come around, Mull had plenty of praise for her pitcher.

“She’s been really in control the past two games, and you can tell she’s getting in her groove,” Mull said. “She’s maturing as a pitcher. She realizes now that a popup is just as good as a strikeout. She’ll still get her share, but she knows she can trust her defense.”