Senior Day honors Richards, Cockerham and Byers who help Italy win double-header
Italy senior Morgan Cockerham(8) receives a hug from Jozie Perkins and the rest of her Lady Gladiator JV and varsity teammates during Senior Day which also honored fellow seniors Alyssa Richards and Katie Byers. (Barry Byers)
Italy — The Italy Lady Gladiators, guided by head coach Wayne Rowe and assistant coaches Tina Richards and Michael Chambers, continued with their dominance over the district by winning both games of a double-header against Covington 21-0 and 18-0 as manager April Lusk stayed mighty busy working the scoreboard.
From beginning to end, the day belonged to the Lady Gladiators and especially their three seniors, Alyssa Richards, Morgan Cockerham and Katie Byers who were honored between games by being escorted onto the field by family members and then showered with gifts and hugs as a part of Senior Day.
At the conclusion of both wins, the players and coaches participated in the Final Walk with Richards, Cockerham and Byers leading the procession from the centerfield fence to home plate where they released balloons into the air…or at least tried to. As the trio began to release the balloons, their teammates stormed them from behind in a prankish surprise.
The ensuing laughter was complimented by more hugs from teammates with Italy now one game away from winning an undefeated district championship.