Soddy-Daisy Knocks Off Ooltewah, Inches Closer To 5-3A Softball Crown

Top-Seed Lady Owls Face McMinn County In Stave-Alive Game

  • Monday, May 8, 2017
  • Larry Fleming
Soddy-Daisy Shortstop Alexis Trimiar was a one-girl wrecking crew Monday night in the Lady Trojans' 6-4 win over Ooltewah in the District 5-3A softball tournament. Trimiar went 4-for-5 with three doubles, three runs scored and two eighth-inning RBIs that decided the outcome.
Soddy-Daisy Shortstop Alexis Trimiar was a one-girl wrecking crew Monday night in the Lady Trojans' 6-4 win over Ooltewah in the District 5-3A softball tournament. Trimiar went 4-for-5 with three doubles, three runs scored and two eighth-inning RBIs that decided the outcome.
photo by Dennis Norwood

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Soddy-Daisy turned the tables on Ooltewah in Monday night’s winner’s bracket final in the District 5-3A softball tournament at Larry Haney Field on the Walker Valley High School campus.

The Lady Owls had trounced the Lady Trojans 11-0 and 12-2 in regular-season play but coach Travis Hale’s squad apparently was tired of losing to its league rival.

Shortstop Alexis Trimiar turned in a scintillating performance against Lady Owls pitching ace Kayla Boseman, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored to lead Soddy-Daisy a 6-4 victory in eight innings.

“We’ve got the momentum now and we want to keep it going,” said Trimiar, an all-district selection. “Even when Ooltewah tied the game I knew we’d come back because we never give up and we didn’t tonight.”

Trimiar’s third two-bagger in the eighth inning accounted for the game-winning runs as the Lady Trojans marched into Tuesday’s championship game at 7 p.m.

Ooltewah (28-6) will face McMinn County (18-16) in an elimination game at 5 p.m. That winner would have to beat Soddy-Daisy (28-12) twice to keep it from winning a seventh title in nine years.

The Lady Cherokees ousted Walker Valley 9-7 in Monday’s loser’s bracket contest.

Trimiar led off the game with a single to left field, went to second on an error, moved to third on Peri Prestwood’s sacrifice bunt and scored when Cameren Swafford grounded out.

The Lady Trojans shortstop got her first double in the third and came home on Mabry Carpenter’s throwing error. Double No. 2 came in the fourth. Prestwood drove her home with a bloop single to right. Prestwood scored on Swafford’s double.

“Alexis had a huge night at the plate,” Hale said. “Her last double gave us a two-run lead and that was huge. The win feels like a load was lifted off us. The girls came ready to play tonight.”

Kaylin Fugatt had Soddy-Daisy’s fifth double to start the game-deciding eighth inning.

Soddy-Daisy’s starting pitcher, Stephanie Blevins, scattered nine hits and gave up four runs, two earned. She struck out one and walked two. Penney allowed one hit, walked one, hit a batter but kept the Lady Owls away from home plate.

“Stephanie is a warrior,” Hale said. “She was outstanding tonight. We asked her to step up and she did.

The Lady Owls, held in check by the right-handed Blevins for five innings, came up with RBI singles by Addy Keylon and Tiera Lemon to tie the game at 4-4 after the regulation seven innings.

“When we tied it up I thought we had a good chance,” Lady Owls coach Jon Massey said. “But it wasn’t to be. We hit balls hard but Walker Valley made some plays and we couldn’t get the big hit in the seventh and eighth innings.”

Ooltewah loaded the bases in the seventh, but Blevins induced Tyler Sullivan into an inning-ending groundout. Moments earlier Jadyn Raschke barely missed hitting a grand slam when Lady Trojan left-fielder Hailey Woodcock backed up to the fence to make the grab.

“I was nervous at the start of the game but knew the defense had my back,” Blevins said.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Lady Owls got a one-out single by Lemon that chased Blevins.

Veteran Shonna Penney came on in relief and gave up a double to Shelby Sutton, but Sutton rounded second before noticing that Lemon had stopped at third. Sutton was thrown out trying to scramble back to second. Kayla Boseman was intentionally walked for a second time and Mabry Carpenter was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Catcher Cheyanne Sales popped out to third to end the game.

Boseman was raked for eight hits and six runs, five were earned. She struck out nine and walked four.

In the Lady Trojans’ postgame victory huddle in right field, Hale praised several players, including Blevins.

A teammate shouted, in descriptive terms for Blevins, “Tiny but mighty.”

That phrase might stick with Blevins for the rest of the season.

And the Lady Trojans, as a collective body, might remember the eighth-inning rally for quite some time as well.

Fugatt doubled and Hailey Woodcock put down a sacrifice bunt and was safe at first. Fugatt moved to third. Ninth-place hitter, Breanna Britton, bunted and moved Woodcock to second.

Trimiar ripped the game-winning double into the left-field corner, just as she did in the fourth innings, and watched as two runs crossed the plate.

“It was an inside pitch, that’s all I remember,” Trimiar said. “We’ve seen (Boseman) several times and did better this time than we did during the season. I know I haven’t had many nights like this one and it really feels good.”

LINESCORE

Soddy-Daisy              101 200 02 – 6 9 1

Ooltewah                   100 102 00 – 4 10 2

Blevins, Penney and Swafford; Boseman and Sales.

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

Pitcher Stephanie Blevins picked up the 6-4 win with a sterling effort against Ooltewah on Monday. Blevins scattered nine hits over 6 1/3 innings before giving way to reliever Shonna Penney. The Lady Trojans will play for the District 5-3A softball tournament title Tuesday at 7 p.m. against the winner of a 5 p.m. loser's bracket game pitting Ooltewah and McMinn County.
Pitcher Stephanie Blevins picked up the 6-4 win with a sterling effort against Ooltewah on Monday. Blevins scattered nine hits over 6 1/3 innings before giving way to reliever Shonna Penney. The Lady Trojans will play for the District 5-3A softball tournament title Tuesday at 7 p.m. against the winner of a 5 p.m. loser's bracket game pitting Ooltewah and McMinn County.
photo by Dennis Norwood
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