Madison Vandergriff knew the softball was going to go far the moment it left her bat and headed into the leftfield, but it took a moment to realize just how far it had actually travelled. Instead of dropping onto the outfield grass or even the warning track, the ball went over the fence. The senior leader had begun to sprint, and then slowed to a slow jog when it looked like the ball may have been caught, and then finally and gleefully cantered across the plate when she was sure it was a four-bagger.
There to meet her was eighth-grader Addi Lewis, the right fielder who seemed to be everywhere during CCS’ two-game mauling of the Ensworth Tigers.
“I’ve never been more proud of an eighth grade class in my life,” Vandergriff said. “We don’t have that many upperclassmen this year, and to see where they’ve come from to where they are now is amazing.”
CCS blasted Ensworth 12-0 in both contests, which brought about the mercy rule after the fourth inning of game one. Senior pitcher Emily Day was nigh unhittable in her first start, striking out four and allowing only two hits in her four innings of work. She mixed up her pitches, keeping the Ensworth batters unsure of whether a fastball or breaking ball was going to blow past them.
“She’s a workhorse and she said at the beginning of the year that she knew she’d pitch a lot of innings,” CCS coach Lisa Gray said. “She knows this is it for her, so she’s going to leave it out there. I know that when she goes out there on the mound, she’s going to leave everything out there.”
CCS’ bats made sure to give Day all of the run support she could ever ask for. Vandergriff got things started with a hard ground ball up the middle, which scored Emily Matthews in the second inning. That one run was followed by an eight-run third inning in which Ensworth’s pitching and fielding were severely tested for about half an hour. Lauren Day drove home a fellow Lauren with the last name of Kay with a slap into leftfield.
A perfect Emily Day bunt, which angled the ball just to the front and right of her, not only got herself on base but also drove the other Emily on the team (Matthews) in from third. Once Vandergriff cleared the loaded bases with a double into deep center field and made the score 6-0, the rout was on.
“The ball looked really good coming in, and I was just really excited to be out here today,” Vandergriff said. “It’s our last time playing on this field, so the energy was there and I was ready.”
Vandergriff, Matthews, Hannah Blevins, the rest of the Chargers’ lineup continued to pound Ensworth in the fourth and eventually run-ruled them by scoring three more runs in that inning. While Ensworth generally had very little to cheer about during that game or the next one, left fielder Rachel Thompson gave the Tigers at least one highlight to remember. Her diving catch near foul-territory robbed Lauren McGill of a possible hit and drew cheers from both CCS and Ensworth fans in the first inning.
The Chargers must have held a grudge against Thompson for that, because CCS seemed to do nothing but send doubles, triples, and home runs into leftfield during their second 12-0 rout of the day. Instead of waiting till the second inning to score, CCS took charge during the first inning when a Blevins ground ball slipped past the infield into left, scoring McGill and Kay. Once she made it to third, Blevins was able to race home when a ball whiffed past the Ensworth catcher on a passed ball.
“I think they’re hitting their stride at the right time, and they’re just a good bunch of girls who have worked really hard and have overcome some big team injuries,” coach Gray said.
Day started the second game looking merely mortal, and had Thompson and had the speedy Lilly Hartle standing on second and third base with only one out. Perhaps Ensworth would have made a game of things if the Chargers hadn’t turned a very smart double play. When Avery Hunt struck out, catcher Emily Matthews caught Hartle napping on the line and fairly far from third. She lazered in a throw to Kay, who applied the tag and got Day out of a potentially-messy situation.
“Emily is always ready to go regardless of the situation,” Vandergriff said. “We can always count on her to pitch well.”
After Vandergriff’s two-run jack in the second, Blevins got Kay home on a double into left. While the game wouldn’t end for another three innings, Emily Matthews seemed to put the dagger into Ensworth during her next at bat. Her powerful swing lofted the ball to (where else but) left field, and Blevins swiftly went home and Matthews was at second base with a double……
……..until she got to third and then rounded the bag and set her sights on home. The Ensworth outfield had been slow to get the ball back into play, and Matthews’ hustle was rewarded with an inside-the-park home run. Over the next few innings, younger players like Taylor Bullard, McKenah Beamon, and Ryleigh Bray would all see action in the playoffs, which their coach said was nothing new for the Chargers.
“There’s a big tradition that’s been created here, and in the playoffs is when this team comes alive. They want to be here and make a mark, and we want to get to the Finals.”
With the sweep, CCS will now advance to the next round of the Division II-AA playoffs.
LINESCORES
GAME ONE
ENSWORTH 0 0 0 0 - 0 2 5
CCS 0 1 8 3 - 12 9 0
Hunt, Herberts (3) and Newell; Day and Matthews.
GAME TWO
CCS: 3 5 2 1 1 - 12 10 0
ENSWORTH: 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 2 2
Day and Matthews, Herbert, Hunt (2), Hartle (5) and Newell.