Gibbs Downs Ooltewah 7-3 On Hughes' Seventh-Inning Grand Slam

Boseman Taken Deep Three Times In Class 3A State Softball

  • Wednesday, May 24, 2017
  • Larry Fleming
Macey Hughes strides toward third base after slapping a game winning grand slam that gave Gibbs a 7-3 win over Ooltewah in a Class AAA state tournament game Tuesday afternoon in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Hughes nailed the homerun with one out and the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Macey Hughes strides toward third base after slapping a game winning grand slam that gave Gibbs a 7-3 win over Ooltewah in a Class AAA state tournament game Tuesday afternoon in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Hughes nailed the homerun with one out and the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning.
photo by Dennis Norwood

(Story has been updated)

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – In a shocking power play against one of the state’s best high school softball pitchers, Gibbs rallied to beat Ooltewah 7-3 Wednesday on Macey Hughes’ walk-off grand slam in the seventh inning at the McKnight complex.

The Lady Owls (33-9) had taken a 3-1 lead in the third inning on Mabry Carpenter’s three-run homer and Kayla Boseman, the team’s ace in the circle was cruising, having retired 13 of 15 batters going to the sixth.

Hughes drilled a one-out solo blast to right-center field to pull the Lady Eagles to within 3-2.

Two outs later, Kayley Kern tied the tightly contested game with a solo shot to right-center as well.

Boseman beat out a one-out infield hit with a slide into first and courtesy runner Marissa Forrester was balked to second. Gibbs’ Rayna Pendleton disposed of the next two batters and the Lady Eagles (39-9) had three outs to decide the game without going to extra innings.

And they did it.

Josie Huff led off with a single. Boseman, who had thrown back-to-back no-hitters in the sectional and the state opener with a combined 29 strikeouts, walked Morgan Overholser. The runners advance to second and third on Sydney Cope’s sacrifice bunt. Leah Sohm walked to load the bases.

Gibbs was tightening the vice grip on the Lady Owls.

Hughes drilled the grand slam to almost the same spot as her solo blast the inning before, setting off a wild celebration by the Lady Eagles and everyone else who was following them in this tournament.

“I’ve never hit two home runs in the same game before,” said Hughes, a freshman first baseman.

Boseman’s dejected response in the other dugout: “I’ve never given up three home runs in a game.”

Much less allowing three in two innings.

Through 41 games Boseman had a 1.21 ERA.

Stingy with the hits and runs, huh?

Throw in the numbers against Gibbs and Boseman’s ERA climbed to 1.55, and Hughes did most of the damage.

“It was frustrating,” said Boseman, a junior and preseason MaxPreps All-American. “They were seeing the ball, attacking it and were as good as we’ve faced this year. And they were hitting good pitches too.”

“We knew they were a good hitting team,” Ooltewah coach Jon Massey said. “We were throwing the best pitches we had and Kayla had good velocity today, but Gibbs kept hitting the ball.”

Said Carpenter of Gibbs hitters clearing the fence three times: “That was shocking.”

With the win, the Lady Eagles advanced to the winner’s bracket final on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. against Powell (36-6).

Ooltewah fell into the loser’s bracket and will try to stay alive in its next game against Henry County at 11:30 a.m. CT on Thursday.

The Lady Eagles, who beat Powell for the District 3-3A championship, lost to Powell in the Region 2-3A title showdown and clipped Morristown East in the sectional to earn a trip to Murfreesboro, took an early 1-0 lead against Ooltewah in the first inning. Sohm singled, stole second, moved to third on Hughes’ single and scored on Sierra Huckleberry’s squeeze bunt.

Ooltewah managed only a Tyler Sullivan hit up the middle in the second until the Lady Owls’ bats found some thunder in the third.

Tiera Lemon lined out to shortstop Sohm, who made a nice leaping catch on the play. Shelby Sutton singled and Boseman reached on a bloop hit behind third.

Carpenter, who grounded out in the first, hit a three-run rocket to left field go give the Lady Owls the lead.

“Mabry’s homer kind of settled everybody down,” said Boseman, who struck out eight and walked three.

Said Carpenter on her game-changing blast: “It was nice when I rounded third and saw everyone excited. That gave us some confidence.”

And by that time Boseman was boss.

The hard-throwing right-hander retired seven in a row and 12 of 13 two outs deep into the fifth inning. The Lady Eagles looked helpless during the stretch, some hitters waving on pitches as they zoomed past.

Then four-baggers started flying out of the McKnight ballfield. And eight-foot chain link could not contain the Lady Eagles’ long-range bombs.

All three homers were no-doubters.

“Give (Gibbs) credit,” said Massey, who has brought his Lady Owls to two state tournaments in three years. “We’ve got to play two games Thursday and two Friday to get this done. We’ve got to win and do whatever it takes.

“Most of all, we have to score more runs.”

LINESCORE

Ooltewah                   003 000 0 – 3 9 0

Gibbs                         100 002 4 – 7 7 1

Boseman and Sales; Pendleton and Cope.

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)

  

Ooltewah's Kayla Hughes dives safely into first base to beat out a throw to Gibbs' first baseman Josie Huff (1). Gibbs
Ooltewah's Kayla Hughes dives safely into first base to beat out a throw to Gibbs' first baseman Josie Huff (1). Gibbs
photo by Dennis Norwood
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