Softball
Monday, April 5, 2010
Lady Rockets battle to 4-2 finish at Lady Warrior Southern Classic
Chapel Hill was one of ten sites hosting the Riverdale Lady Warrior Southern Classic over the weekend and the Lady Rockets gave the fans their money’s worth as they finished with a 4-2 record over the three-day period for a 15th place finish out of 43 teams.
Lawrence County was crowned as the eventual 2010 champion, beating Goodpasture, LaVergne, Walker Valley, and Cookeville.
The defending Class A state champion Trinity Christian Lady Lions finished with an impressive 6-1 record with wins over Columbia, Rossview, Carl Sandburg, Illinois, Keystone, Ohio, Brighton, and a 1-0 extra inning win over Alabama powerhouse Hueytown.
Trinity’s (15-1) only loss, their first setback up the season, came in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Lincoln County.
Forrest (8-2) played small ball with Shelbyville, jumping out to a 5-1 first inning lead in the early morning opener before the Eagelettes came back to within one run at 5-4 in the second frame.
An RBI single by Forrest’s Rachel Curtis drove in Chelsea Johnson in the third inning, making it 6-4.
The host squad scored two more runs on squeeze bunts by Stinnett and Curtis in the fifth inning and the same duo combined to shut down the Bedford County squad’s offense the rest of the way in the circle for win number one in the tourney.
Game two pitted the Lady Rockets versus a stout Dickson County squad in a night game.
It was all Dickson County from the start as a porous Forrest defense allowed the Lady Cougars to take a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the third inning.
Johnson got Forrest going once again, slapping a leadoff hit into centerfield and coming around two batters later on a Curtis RBI single to right.
The game went to the bottom of the sixth with the same 4-1 score before Adrean Jordan lead off the inning with a shot off of the centerfield fence.
Caitlin Rotchford plated Jordan with a double of her own, making it a 4-2 ballgame.
Stinnett was strong in the circle in the top of the seventh, sending the Lady Rockets up for their last chance at bat.
Ciara Cook led off the inning with a slap single, racing down the line to beat the throw to first by a hair.
Cook took second on a fielder’s choice by Johnson and scored on an RBI knock by Stinnett.
Stinnett came in with the tying run on a throwing error on the next play.
The game went to overtime and Dickson struck first, scoring twice in the top of the eighth for a 6-4 lead.
Forrest did push run across in the home half, but it was not enough, suffering their first regular season loss.
On Good Friday morning, Forrest came back with a big 8-3 win over Heritage.
Forrest scored first in the second inning on an RBI double by Rotchford that scored Jordan, who had singled.
Whitney Townsend tied the game for Heritage with an RBI single off Stinnett in the bottom of the inning.
Johnson and Courtney Hollandsworth got back-to-back walks, leading off the third inning.
Stinnett moved both runners up a base with a sac bunt and Curtis squeezed Johnson home for a 2-1 lead.
They added an unearned run in the fourth and then busted the game wide open in the fifth on a three-run homerun by Curtis, making it 6-1.
Heritage scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth, but RBI’s by Hollandsworth and Curtis re-opened the five-run lead at 8-3 in the sixth.
Curtis took it home in the circle for the 8-3 win.
The next game was a marquee match-up between a pair of state runners-up in Forrest and Mason, Ohio.
Mason held a 2-1 third inning lead on Forrest before Rotchford tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
The Big School runners-up Lady Comets from Ohio added one run in the top of the fourth and held on to the precarious 3-2 for two more innings before the Lady Rockets came alive in the bottom of the 6th.
Jordan reached on a leadoff double and was sacrificed to third by Rotchford.
Once again, FHS head coach Becky Cheatham gave the squeeze signal and Brooke Herron laid it down perfect and Jordan scored on a close play at home, tying the game at 3.
Korisa Warlick walked and Cook bounced into a fielder’s choice, but stole second on the next pitch.
Johnson came up to the dish and laced a double into the leftfield gap, scoring both Herron and Cook for a 5-3 lead.
Mason scored an unearned run in the seventh before Curtis whiffed the last Lady Comet batter to end the contest at 5-4.
The Lady Rockets fell apart defensively in their third game on Friday,
committing several errors in a 7-3 loss to the Lady Chargers from Martin-Westview.
Rain cancelled Forrest’s early morning game on Saturday versus Wilson Central and they did not take the field until five o’clock for a ballgame versus the Brighton Lady Cardinals from Tipton County.
Brighton took a 1-0 first inning lead on an RBI fielder’s choice by Britt Sanford.
In the third, Brighton made it 2-0 when Caroline Jacobs tripled with one down and came home on an RBI knock by Lauren Gentry.
LeAnna Colston was superb and in control in the circle for the Lady Cardinals through five innings and took a 3-0 lead to the bottom of the sixth.
Cook led off the frame, slapping a single into centerfield and took second on a steal.
After a Forrest strikeout, Hollandsworth walked.
Stinnett followed with a hit to left, scoring Cook.
Curtis banged another single, loading the bases.
With Jordan at the plate, Cheatham called for the rare bases loaded squeeze and it almost worked, but Hollandsworth was out on the bang-bang force at home for the second out.
Rotchford came up next and worked a 3-2 count before drilling a bases clearing three-run double into the left field gap, giving Forrest a 5-4 lead.
Herron provided a much-needed insurance run when she drilled a single to left that scored Mandi Conley, who had come in to run for Rotchford.
The freshman Conley got a standing ovation from the Forrest faithful when she barreled over the Brighton catcher and then crawled to tag the dish as the Lady Cardinal backstop struggled to retrieve the ball that Conley knocked from her mitt in the colossal collision.
Brighton had some hope in the top of the seventh, scoring an unearned run before Stinnett induced Sanford to bounce out to Cook at short, ending the game.
The Lady Rockets have a home and home match-up with Eagleville on Monday and Tuesday before a five-day hiatus.
Lawrence County was crowned as the eventual 2010 champion, beating Goodpasture, LaVergne, Walker Valley, and Cookeville.
The defending Class A state champion Trinity Christian Lady Lions finished with an impressive 6-1 record with wins over Columbia, Rossview, Carl Sandburg, Illinois, Keystone, Ohio, Brighton, and a 1-0 extra inning win over Alabama powerhouse Hueytown.
Trinity’s (15-1) only loss, their first setback up the season, came in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Lincoln County.
Forrest (8-2) played small ball with Shelbyville, jumping out to a 5-1 first inning lead in the early morning opener before the Eagelettes came back to within one run at 5-4 in the second frame.
An RBI single by Forrest’s Rachel Curtis drove in Chelsea Johnson in the third inning, making it 6-4.
The host squad scored two more runs on squeeze bunts by Stinnett and Curtis in the fifth inning and the same duo combined to shut down the Bedford County squad’s offense the rest of the way in the circle for win number one in the tourney.
Game two pitted the Lady Rockets versus a stout Dickson County squad in a night game.
It was all Dickson County from the start as a porous Forrest defense allowed the Lady Cougars to take a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the third inning.
Johnson got Forrest going once again, slapping a leadoff hit into centerfield and coming around two batters later on a Curtis RBI single to right.
The game went to the bottom of the sixth with the same 4-1 score before Adrean Jordan lead off the inning with a shot off of the centerfield fence.
Caitlin Rotchford plated Jordan with a double of her own, making it a 4-2 ballgame.
Stinnett was strong in the circle in the top of the seventh, sending the Lady Rockets up for their last chance at bat.
Ciara Cook led off the inning with a slap single, racing down the line to beat the throw to first by a hair.
Cook took second on a fielder’s choice by Johnson and scored on an RBI knock by Stinnett.
Stinnett came in with the tying run on a throwing error on the next play.
The game went to overtime and Dickson struck first, scoring twice in the top of the eighth for a 6-4 lead.
Forrest did push run across in the home half, but it was not enough, suffering their first regular season loss.
On Good Friday morning, Forrest came back with a big 8-3 win over Heritage.
Forrest scored first in the second inning on an RBI double by Rotchford that scored Jordan, who had singled.
Whitney Townsend tied the game for Heritage with an RBI single off Stinnett in the bottom of the inning.
Johnson and Courtney Hollandsworth got back-to-back walks, leading off the third inning.
Stinnett moved both runners up a base with a sac bunt and Curtis squeezed Johnson home for a 2-1 lead.
They added an unearned run in the fourth and then busted the game wide open in the fifth on a three-run homerun by Curtis, making it 6-1.
Heritage scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth, but RBI’s by Hollandsworth and Curtis re-opened the five-run lead at 8-3 in the sixth.
Curtis took it home in the circle for the 8-3 win.
The next game was a marquee match-up between a pair of state runners-up in Forrest and Mason, Ohio.
Mason held a 2-1 third inning lead on Forrest before Rotchford tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
The Big School runners-up Lady Comets from Ohio added one run in the top of the fourth and held on to the precarious 3-2 for two more innings before the Lady Rockets came alive in the bottom of the 6th.
Jordan reached on a leadoff double and was sacrificed to third by Rotchford.
Once again, FHS head coach Becky Cheatham gave the squeeze signal and Brooke Herron laid it down perfect and Jordan scored on a close play at home, tying the game at 3.
Korisa Warlick walked and Cook bounced into a fielder’s choice, but stole second on the next pitch.
Johnson came up to the dish and laced a double into the leftfield gap, scoring both Herron and Cook for a 5-3 lead.
Mason scored an unearned run in the seventh before Curtis whiffed the last Lady Comet batter to end the contest at 5-4.
The Lady Rockets fell apart defensively in their third game on Friday,
committing several errors in a 7-3 loss to the Lady Chargers from Martin-Westview.
Rain cancelled Forrest’s early morning game on Saturday versus Wilson Central and they did not take the field until five o’clock for a ballgame versus the Brighton Lady Cardinals from Tipton County.
Brighton took a 1-0 first inning lead on an RBI fielder’s choice by Britt Sanford.
In the third, Brighton made it 2-0 when Caroline Jacobs tripled with one down and came home on an RBI knock by Lauren Gentry.
LeAnna Colston was superb and in control in the circle for the Lady Cardinals through five innings and took a 3-0 lead to the bottom of the sixth.
Cook led off the frame, slapping a single into centerfield and took second on a steal.
After a Forrest strikeout, Hollandsworth walked.
Stinnett followed with a hit to left, scoring Cook.
Curtis banged another single, loading the bases.
With Jordan at the plate, Cheatham called for the rare bases loaded squeeze and it almost worked, but Hollandsworth was out on the bang-bang force at home for the second out.
Rotchford came up next and worked a 3-2 count before drilling a bases clearing three-run double into the left field gap, giving Forrest a 5-4 lead.
Herron provided a much-needed insurance run when she drilled a single to left that scored Mandi Conley, who had come in to run for Rotchford.
The freshman Conley got a standing ovation from the Forrest faithful when she barreled over the Brighton catcher and then crawled to tag the dish as the Lady Cardinal backstop struggled to retrieve the ball that Conley knocked from her mitt in the colossal collision.
Brighton had some hope in the top of the seventh, scoring an unearned run before Stinnett induced Sanford to bounce out to Cook at short, ending the game.
The Lady Rockets have a home and home match-up with Eagleville on Monday and Tuesday before a five-day hiatus.
