MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Ooltewah Lady Owls on Friday showed exactly how to get over a 3-0 shutout loss to Warren County in the Region 3-3A championship game two day earlier.
The Lady Owls, playing some of the best softball in the postseason, got a pair of two-run homers from Cheyanne Sales and a combined five-hit pitching performance from Annalee Moore and Emma Ladd and whipped Blackman, 8-1, in the Class 3A sectional and earned a spot in next week’s state tournament.
“On Wednesday, the girls realized that everyone at this stage is playing to go to state,” Ooltewah’s first-year coach Kerilyn Mongar said in a telephone interview. “They knew they had to come into (Friday’s) game with more mental readiness. Everybody was in tune and when the cleats went it was go-time.”
The Lady Owls (22-14) will be appearing in their fourth state tournament in five years. Former coach Jon Massey guided Ooltewah to state berths in 2018, 2017 and 015. In 2016, Ooltewah’s season ended with a sectional loss to Stewarts Creek.
“I played at state before (at Ooltewah) but I’ve never gotten there as a coach,” Mongar said. “I’ve always come up short in the district tournament. Making it even better this year is that we’ve beaten some really good teams to get there.”
Sales went off on Blackman (35-9) starting pitcher Caitlin Manus right away.
The senior catcher helped stake Moore, a sophomore, to a 3-0 lead in the first inning by belting the first of two homers off Blackman starter Caitlin Manus. Sales, who has been seeing her share of walks in the postseason, blasted another two-run homer in the fourth inning.
With one out in the first, Lexi Vogel walked and Sales triggered the Lady Owls’ dominating 16-hit attack with a blast over the left-field fence. Later in the inning, Sydney White drew a walk and scored on Mackenzie Patterson’s single to right.
“Everyone in the lineup was hitting tonight,” Mongar said.
In the second, Makala Strickland singled to right and moved to second on Addy Keylon’s sacrifice bunt. Lexi Vogel walked and Sales’ single loaded the bases. White’s hit to center scored Calli Hensley, who ran for Sales.
Keylon flied out starting the fourth inning and Vogel smacked a double to left field. Sales found a 1-1 offering from Manus to her liking and crushed her second two-run homer to left, pushing Ooltewah’s lead to 6-0.
Sales smacked a two-run shot in the first inning against Cookeville in the Lady Owls’ 5-3 win in the Region 3-3A semifinals. Moore and Ladd combined on a six-hitter in that game.
Alyssa White singled to center, Keylon drew a two-out walk and Vogel’s single to center gave the Lady Owls a 7-0 cushion in the fifth.
In Blackman’s fifth, Kalei Harding led off with a double and Kendall Andrews’ ground single into left drove off Ladd in the Lady Blaze’s lone run.
Strickland opened the seventh with a single and went to third on Vogel’s single. Sales grounded out. Sydney White’s double pushed Strickland home with Ooltewah’s final run.
Ladd walked Harding in the bottom of the seventh and with one out Elaina McGill reached on Sydney White’s error at shortstop. Tarpley and Ashlynn Hamby each popped out to end the game.
“Annalee and Emma essentially shut down their big hitters,” Mongar said of her two young pitchers. “Those hitters didn’t get a hit until the fifth or sixth inning. Our defense was steady and they had runners on in several innings and we got them out.”
Moore threw 72 pitches, 41 for strikes. Ladd put 20 of her 29 pitches in the strike zone.
Sales went 3 for 4 with four RBIs, Vogel was 3-for-3 with an RBI and scored twice, Sydney White went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and scored once. Aubrey Smith and Strickland each had two hits. Strickland scored twice.
Linescore
Ooltewah 310 210 1 – 8 16 1
Blackman 000 010 0 – 1 5 1
Moore, Ladd (5) and Sales; Manus and Hart.
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)