William Blount softball clinches top spot in 4-AAA

MARYVILLE — Amanda Leatherwood isn’t celebrating too much. Not yet.

The William Blount softball coach is proud of what her team has accomplished so far. And she is also pleased that the Lady Governors clinched the No. 1 seed in the District 4-AAA tournament after defeating Farragut 6-1 Thursday at William Blount.

But she also acknowledged that William Blount (25-4-1, 12-0 4-AAA) still has much more ambitious goals left on the table.

“They have exceeded my expectations each game,” Leatherwood said. “But we can’t be satisfied in this moment, we got to look at the big picture.

“We know what is at stake. We know how tough our district is. And we know exactly what our goals are, and that is to get out of this district, win the region, win substate, and go to state.”

Leatherwood believes the Lady Governors are capable of accomplishing all of those goals. They have an ace pitcher. The defense is strong, and every hitter in the lineup is dangerous.

“I have seen production (from the entire lineup) from my team,” Leatherwood said. “Everybody has had their glory days throughout the season, which has been really awesome as a coach to be able to celebrate different players and not the same top (of the lineup).

“I think they are living up to every bit of their ability — Team 38’s ability.”

That ability was on display Thursday night against Farragut (18-6, 8-3). Kelsey Darnell was dominant in the circle. The junior pitcher fanned three batters, while only allowing five hits in a complete game. The defense didn’t commit a single error, and William Blount’s lineup provided Darnell with plenty of support. The Lady Governors registered 10 hits, with both McKenzie Henry and Brooke McMahan having two.

“You got to make plays against Farragut,” Leatherwood said. “You can’t expect to have a lot plays against them. They are a great-hitting ball team. They are fundamentally sound, and very well-coached. So you got to make plays.”

The Lady Governors, like they have done all season, made the plays. Now they have to make sure they continue to make plays as the season progresses.

“We want to win,” Leatherwood said. “I don’t we are going to settle for anything less … we know our full potential.”

“I believe this team can make it all the way.”