Foundation softball rebounds after first loss

WINDERMERE — Ranked as the No. 4 softball team in the state in Class 2A, the Foundation Academy Lions responded to their first loss of the season just as a team with aspirations of reaching the state tournament ought to — by scoring 34 runs over the course of its next two games and concluding last week with a pair of emphatic wins.

After falling to Cornerstone Charter on Feb. 23, 16-6, the Lions (7-1) overcame a slow start on Feb. 24 against Windermere Prep to score a 17-6 victory — a scoring output they duplicated two days later against Calvary Christian in a 17-0 win. 

“I had to get on them a little bit in the second inning,” Foundation Academy head coach Randy Ames said after the win over the Lakers. “And they responded — and that’s what I was looking for — a response.”

The Lions amassed 22 hits over the two-game stretch, including a pair of home runs in the victory at Windermere Prep: one by Kristin Lawrence and a grand slam by Stevi Ames.

“We’re hitting the ball pretty good,” Randy Ames said. “Defensively, we’ve struggled a little bit, just being a bit lazy. Nothing that practice can’t fix.”

After a busy last week of February, the Lions begin March with just one game this week: a contest on Tuesday against Real Life after press time. Foundation will then take a week off before returning to action on Tuesday, March 10, at rival CFCA.

Randy Ames said the focus over the next few weeks, as the Lions prepare for a busy stretch of four games in 10 days before spring break, will be getting his roster to to grow comfortable and confident in one another.

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].