Sophomore Kelsey Nunley was the winning pitcher in the Region 3-AAA championship game.
photo by Curtis Henderson
All Soddy-Daisy needed was one big inning Wednesday night.
Playing in the Region 3-AAA high school softball championship game, the host Lady Trojans got a clutch three-run double from Taylor Wilson in the bottom of the second and held on for a 3-0 victory over Coffee County.
Soddy-Daisy, ranked No. 12 nationally in the ESPN Rise FAB 50 poll, improved to 47-2 and will play host to Lincoln County (34-10) on Friday night at 7 at Soddy Lake Kids Park in a state sectional.
Murfreesboro Riverdale (53-6-1) defeated Lincoln County, 1-0, for the Region 4 championship late Wednesday.
Coffee County (30-7) will play at Riverdale.
Sectional winners advance to the BlueCross Spring Fling next week in Murfreesboro.
“I was just doing what I always try to do – get a hit,’’ Wilson said. “It was a fastball or a curve outside, I don’t really know. All I know it was probably my biggest hit of the year.’’
Said Soddy-Daisy coach Clifford Kirk, “Yeah, it was big. The biggest hit for her this year, maybe in her life.
“We really needed that hit. We had runners on base and even though she’s down in the lineup, she came through. It was a big hit.’’
In the bottom of the second, Brandi Lasley was hit-by-a-pitch after one out. Mariam Wood and Andi Johnson followed with singles, loading the bases. That set up the heroics from Wilson, who was batting eighth.
“She’s a better hitter than eighth,’’ Kirk said. “That’s just where it has worked out this year.’’
Soddy-Daisy sophomore pitcher Kelsey Nunley earned the shutout, giving up only three hits and striking out seven. She hit one Lady Raider and gave up a single and double to Taylor Gullett and a single to losing pitcher Casey Vincent.
“Nunley did a good job tonight,’’ Kirk said. “She lost her focus a little there at the end, but she’s 15-years-old. Enough said. She hasn’t been in many close games this year.’’
Brooke Ward and Alex Everett also had hits for Soddy-Daisy against Vincent, who struck out nine and hit two.
Coffee County rallied in the top of the seventh when Gullett led off with her double. She went to third on a groundout. On the next play, Soddy-Daisy third-baseman Lasley made a diving catch, tagged Gullett off third base and then doubled the runner at first base after she made a wide turn.
“That was a great play by an all-city player,’’ Kirk said.
LINESCORE
Coffee County……..000 000 0 – 0 3 0
Soddy-Daisy……….020 000 x – 3 5 0
Vincent and Howell; Nunley and Wilson.
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)
Region 3-AAA high school softball champion Soddy-Daisy.
photo by Curtis Henderson.