By Mike Moguin
When Carthage senior athlete Lottie Mae Youngblood is asked about her most memorable moment in her softball playing career, she looks to the postseason when her team put up a fierce battle through 11 innings against Lee’s Summit West.
“I am most proud of last softball season when we made it to the second game of districts (Class 5-District 7),” Youngblood said. “We all played our hearts out and played a great game. We kept the game tied, which led to extra innings. Although we lost by a walk-off homerun, I will forever be proud of how hard we played during that game.”
The final score of the game in which the Tigers lost to the Titans was 8-7.
Youngblood said that softball has taught me what it truly means to be a good leader and to be someone the underclassmen and younger girls can come to if they need anything.
Outside the game, she is also involved in the Carthage FFA.
Youngblood is inspired by her great-grandmother. “She was and will always be my biggest supporter, no matter what. She would come to my home softball games when she felt up to it, and she never failed to make me smile. I will always remember how much I meant to her,” she said.
Brooklynn Dolon-Main kis the teammate who has made the biggest impression on her.
“No matter how hard something got, she (Dolon-Main) never gave up on me,” Youngblood said. “She always pushed me to my fullest potential. She was my biggest encouragement during the season.”
Her favorite part of representing her school is, “When I get to wear my jersey and everyone knows that I’m a part of the softball program,” Youngblood said. “I get to show people the sisterhood that we all build, and people see how much we all love playing together.
“I wanna give a shoutout and a big thanks to (Head) Coach (Stephanie) Ray for pushing me even when things got tough, my parents for being the best support group, my great-grandmother for never letting me give up on myself, and the whole softball team for being the best group of sisters, always having positive energy, and always being my biggest cheering section.”
