It's been a roller coaster softball season for the Red Bank Lionettes, but they seem to be hitting their stride at just the right time.
Improving to 16-11, the Lionettes posted their second straight upset in the District 6-AA tournament on Monday, but the 1-0 win over top-seeded Central was bigger and more important than Saturday's 15-10 win over number-two East Ridge.
With Monday's win on their home field, Red Bank advances to the Region 3-AA tournament next week.
There have been games this season when the Lionettes got good pitching, only to get beat when the defense failed to perform. On other days when the defense was flawless, the bats might be silent.
Everything seemed to be clicking on Monday against the Lady Purple Pounders.
Central pitcher Brooke Parrott certainly deserved a better fate as she allowed three hits and three walks while striking out 13. She had a no-hitter through seven innings.
Unfortunately, all three of those hits came in the eighth when the Lionettes scored the only run of the game.
"That was a tough one, but Hannah Wood did a great job keeping them off-balance. I think we may have just wanted it more, but today was our day," said Red Bank coach Mandi Munn after the game ended.
"We've struggled at times with our defense and it seems like we've been plagued with one bad inning in every game we lost, but we were able to avoid that today. For them to not score with the bases loaded in the seventh was huge, but we're excited to be in the region and this puts us one step closer to one of our goals this season," Munn added.
Hannah Wood went the distance for Red Bank and picked up the win. The slender 15-year-old sophomore got hit pretty hard in Saturday's game against East Ridge, but she was all but flawless on Monday as she allowed three hits and one walk while striking out four.
Central got leadoff singles from Alexis Grampp and Reagan Benedict to start the seventh and the bases were loaded one out later when Sam Scott reached on a fielders choice as Grampp beat the throw to third.
Perhaps the turning point of the game for the Red Bank righty was the next batter -- Central's Lexie Ainslie -- who fouled off seven straight pitches on a 3-2 count before flying to right for the second out. Emma Beach then grounded to short to end that threat.
Keeping Central off the board served as a springboard for Red Bank as they scored in their next at bat.
Taylor Bonds led off with a double off the fence in left while Hanna Land followed with a single. Layla Babb struck out swinging for the first out, but leadoff hitter Destiny Painter waited for just the right pitch and lined a 3-2 offering to left as Bonds raced home with the only run.
Wood then retired the Lady Pounders in order to end the game.
"It was intense, but I knew from the beginning that we could win this game," said Wood shortly after it all ended.
"I knew when we took the lead that they wouldn't come back, but Central hasn't lost a district game in something like five years and I'm glad that we could be the ones to stop that streak," she added.
Central coach LeeAnne Shurette felt like her team never made any adjustment to Wood and that ultimately cost her team the game.
"It's called never making an adjustment at the plate. We probably should have bunted in the seventh with the first two hitters on base and I'll take the blame for that, but we just wanted to be aggressive.
"The potential was there, but we never took advantage. That ball in left (Bonds' double) should have been caught as we just gave up on it, but we just waited too late to get started. I just hope we have some fight left tomorrow.
"Brooke Parrott pitched too well to get a loss, but that's the way it goes sometimes," Shurrette concluded.
Central, now 17-16, must play East Ridge in Tuesday's first game at 4:30 with the winner facing Red Bank for the championship. The Lady Pioneers stayed alive with a four-inning 12-0 win over Tyner in Monday's second game.
Should Red Bank lose that game, the "if necessary" game would be played on Wednesday afternoon.
RED BANK 000 000 01 -- 1 3 0
CENTRAL 000 000 00 -- 0 3 0
Wood and Romans; Parrott and Benedict.
(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)