Pearl River Central’s Lady Blue Devils softball team moved to 3-1 on the season after defeating Hancock 3-2 on Feb. 29.

The victory came after a loss the previous night to George County 6-1.

Sophomore pitcher Madison Smith got the win, while eighth grader Jazmin Robertson got the save for the Lady Blue Devils against Hancock.

Senior Madi Glidewell led PRC offensively going two for three with a homerun against Hancock.

Head Coach Tony Labella said the pitching during both games was up to par, but in the batting box there’s still room for improvement.

“Against Hancock we won 3-2, but I don’t think we hit well that game either. We didn’t strike out as much, but we didn’t have a lot of solid contact (either),” Labella said. It was important for the Lady Blue Devils to come out with the right attitude Saturday morning following the loss the previous night.

PRC was able to put the defeat behind them and perform well against Hancock, which Labella said is a point of emphasis for the team.

“We stressed before the game Friday that we had to put Friday behind us, win or lose. We came ready to play Saturday,” Labella said.

If inclement weather doesn’t force a cancellation, the Lady Blue Devils will take on the Magee Lady Trojans at 5 p.m. on March 3.

Magee is currently 3-1 on the season and coming off a 13-2 win against Raymond on Feb. 29.

It’ll be a tough game away from home for PRC and the Lady Blue Devils will look to be tenacious in the batting box.

The athletes have been able to knock in runs this season, but strikeouts have been an issue at the plate.

Even if a batter hits a grounder it still forces the defense to make a play to earn an out.

Labella said his team will learn from its mistakes and make the necessary corrections as the season goes along.

“We did not improve on the goal of cutting down strikeouts. We’ve played well defensively, we just have to come along (with our) hitting,” Labella said.

The Lady Blue Devils will look to continue improving as the team uses these early season games to prepare for district play.