AHSAA SOFTBALL: Short-handed Catholic battles back to earn regional berth with PCA
Catholic’s Riley Hudson is forced out at home plate with PCA’s Addison Byrd recording the out in Friday’s Area tournament at 17 Springs. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
MILLBROOK -- After losing an opening round game to Tallassee in the 4A Area 5 Tournament on Friday at 17 Springs, Catholic coach Whitney Toole wasn’t sure whether her team would challenge for the area tournament title.
“They could have easily laid down and quit and they did the exact opposite,” Toole said. “This is our fifth game (today) and the energy never went down, the play never went down. They were ready to go every single game. They played great in this game, the ball didn’t fall our way.”
The Knights battled back to reach the championship game and defeated Prattville Christian 6-5 to force a second game in the double-elimination tournament before losing to the Panthers 17-16.
Without their top pitcher, the Knights were short handed in the circle and forced to pitch a pair of outfielders in the final game, with their inexperience compounded by a steady rain that fell throughout the game and hampered both pitching staffs in a game featuring 19 walks.
Catholic made up the struggles with five extra-base hits, including a grand slam and a two-run home run, both by Peyton Dees, to help the Knights qualify for the upcoming Central Regional at Lagoon Park.
“I’m super proud of that,” Toole said. “We had used all of our pitchers. We had one hurt that couldn’t pitch, but we had both of them (that had pitched the previous two games) come back in and give us all they had. Of course, we would have loved to have won, but we couldn’t be prouder of the effort we got. They did everything we asked.”
In the 6-5 win over PCA, the Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit with four runs in the third inning. After PCA’s Kandice Crosby tied the game with a solo home run, the Knights got an RBI single from Haley Ishman and an RBI single from Kamryn Iverson for a 6-4 lead. Addison Byrd’s single to right field drove in the Panthers’ fifth run, but right fielder Hannah Smith’s throw to the plate cut down courtesy runner Reagan Houston to end the game.
In the second game, Smith stepped into the circle and gave up RBI hits to Caralee Janes and Megan Masters and a two-run single to Peyton Thrash as PCA built a 7-0 lead in the second inning and threatened to turn the game into a rout.
“On another day, I might have said (the Knights ran out of gas),” Toole said, “but the way they were hitting today, they way they were fighting today, we knew we had a chance. We hit the ball today better than we have in a while.”
Catholic rallied for an 8-7 lead in the bottom half of the inning as Dees’ grand slam brought the Knights all the way back. PCA added two runs in the third and three more in the fifth, but Catholic countered with a three-run fifth highlighted by Ishman’s two-run triple and another run in the sixth to tie the game at 12-12 after left fielder Jaidyn Simmons took the circle in place of Smith.
“She’s pitched for us, but she’s never pitched games back to back,” Toole said. “There’s only a few where she’s pitched a full game. For her to leave it all out there -- I know she’s tired, I know her arm is hurting -- but she did what was best for the team and came out and pitched very well, probably her best game. She gave us all she had.”
PCA scored five runs in the seventh, but Catholic came back with four runs in the bottom half of the inning, including a two-run home run by Dees. The Knights loaded the bases in a steady rain that had increased in intensity over the final three innings before Ishman was called out on strikes to end the game.
Catholic (23-16) will face the winner of the Area 8 Tournament in Munford in the first round of the Central Regional on Monday, May 11, at Lagoon Park, while PCA will play the Area 8 runner-up.
CLASS 4A AREA 5 TOURNAMENT
17 SPRINGS
Prattville Christian 15, Booker T. Washington 0
Tallassee 12, Catholic 11
Catholic 18, Booker T. Washington 0
Prattville Christian 4, Tallassee 2
Catholic 10, Tallassee 6
Catholic 6, Prattville Christian 5
Prattville Christian 17, Catholic 16