CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The East Hamilton Lady Hurricanes finally have the upper hand in their season softball series with District 5-AAA foe Soddy Daisy.
Soddy Daisy had won the first two meetings before East Hamilton won the third in the last regular-season game, clinching the top seed for the 5-AAA in the process.
East Hamilton prevailed by a 5-1 margin in the winners bracket final of the tournament at Cleveland’s Brenda McKenzie Lawson Field on Monday and the Lady Canes made it three in a row with Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory, this latest the biggest and most important so far as it gave the tournament championship to East Hamilton and allowed the Lady Canes the right to host a regional semifinal on Monday against the District 6-AAA runner-up.
Syerra Rogers hit a dramatic two-run homer in that first win nine days ago to highlight the 2-1 win in nine innings and it was her two-run homer that was the difference again on Wednesday, although this one came much earlier in the game.
Shelbie Sholtz started the East Hamilton third with a single before getting forced at second for the first out. With Reese Knox sitting on first, she watched as Rogers launched a 1-2 pitch down the line in left for what turned out to be the game-winning hit.
Rogers was again the winning pitcher as she allowed one run on four hits while walking two and striking out 13. With her team leading 2-1 as the Lady Trojans came to bat in the seventh, freshman Regan Rowan led off with a single before going to second on a wild pitch.
The spunky senior didn’t flinch as she struck out the next three hitters to end the game.
“I just tried to not think about it and focus on what I know how to do best,” Rogers responded when asked about that final inning.
“We were ready to play tonight. Our win on Monday gave us a lot of confidence and this one really feels good as it gives us a chance to play at least one more home game. And as far as the home run is concerned, Reese is my good-luck charm. When she gets on, there’s no way I can leave her out there. It seems like she’s been on base for most of my home runs this season,” the talented senior expressed.
While Rogers round-tripper gave East Hamilton a 2-0 lead, Soddy Daisy cut that lead in half in the fourth.
Tatum Massengale walked to lead off before going to second on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Lloyd. Hope Ingle then lofted a high pop to right center that the wind kept blowing in. Knox made a valiant effort with a long run, but the ball glanced off her glove for a hit as Massengale scored.
Turns out that Knox had the defensive play of the game on another hit by the Soddy Daisy catcher to end the sixth.
The difference was still 2-1 when Ingle came up with two outs. Certainly one of the best – if not the best – hitter on the Soddy Daisy squad with plenty of long-ball ability, she ripped an 0-2 pitch to deep center. Knox got a great jump on the ball and leaped high against the fence to catch what surely would have been a game-tying home run.
East Hamilton coach Norma Nelson is quick to praise Rogers for her ability as a pitcher and hitter, but she was also quick to single out Knox for a great catch in center.
“That was an awesome catch as that ball is out if she doesn’t catch it. That kid scares me every time she comes to bat,” Nelson began her post-game comments.
“Syerra is always the key as she pitched well tonight. We hit the ball really hard on several occasions, but Soddy Daisy made some unbelievable plays on defense. But I also thought that we played well and I couldn’t be any more proud of this win tonight,” the veteran coach added.
Soddy Daisy coach Kelsey Nunley-Moore had nothing but good things to say about her team’s performance.
“That was another close one, but we competed for the entire game and that’s what I’m most proud of,” she said after talking with her team following the game.
“I thought that Jenna Sims pitched well, but we just kept fighting and that’s what I wanted to see. There’s a good chance that we’ll meet again in the region finals next week,” she concluded with a smile.
Shelbie Sholtz was the only East Hamilton player with two hits while Emma Sam Reed had a single in the second and Rogers’ homer for the only other two hits that Sims allowed.
Ingle was the only Soddy Daisy player with two hits. Makayla Perez had a single in the fifth before Rowan’s single in the seventh.
East Hamilton improves to 23-6-1 while Soddy Daisy is now 26-9.
SODDY DAISY BEAT Walker Valley by a 13-2 final in the first game on Wednesday as the Lady Trojans pounded out 11 hits, including three home runs.
Three runs in the first inning gave Soddy Daisy an early lead and the Lady Trojans kept adding with seven in the second and three more in the third.
Massengale and Rowan both had solo homers in the third while Ingle ripped a two-run shot that bounced off the scoreboard in right-center.
Rowan had a two-run single in the first and another RBI-single in the third while Jayde Baron had a two-run single to conclude the scoring in the second. Perez had a two-run double in the third to conclude Soddy Daisy’s scoring.
Walker Valley countered with a solo homer from Maddie Davis in the second before scoring its second run in the fifth on a Soddy Daisy throwing error.
SODDY DAISY 000 100 0 – 1 4 0
EAST HAMILTON 002 000 x – 2 4 0
Sims and Ingle; Rogers and N. Wasserstrom.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)