Winning a championship in the girls 11-13 senior league took a long journey through three months of games, but Hall’s Backhoe finally completed the task Monday night at Hoover and Millraney Field in the tournament title game.
Hall’s Backhoe completed a sweep of the league titles as it added a tournament championship to its regular season championship by beating Ben Lomand 10-8 in the title game.
After going 8-1 in the regular season, Hall’s Backhoe went unblemished through the tournament while adding three more wins. None were harder to earn than Monday’s win in the title game. Hall’s Backhoe battled out of a 5-0 hole in the first inning and had to hold off a late charge to claim the championship.
Ben Lomand beat Letitia Lane Photography 9-5 early Monday night to make the championship game and the team seemed to keep rolling entering the title tilt. The team’s offense got rolling with three hits in the first inning, none bigger than a two-run double by Brianna Young.
After a lead-off walk issued to Savannah Cox and a single by Calyn Damon, Young came up to the plate with a chance to do some damage. The catcher, who had a 3-for-3 performance in Ben Lomand’s first game Monday, continued her hot streak when she hit a liner into right field. Cox and Damon scored with ease while Young made her way around the bases. Young wouldn’t have to stop either as two throwing errors in the field allowed her to come all the way around and score.
Errors would continue to plague Hall’s Backhoe in the first inning. Caylie Sherrell and Madison Merriman each reached base later in the inning and were able to score on miscues to push Ben Lomand in front 5-0 after the top of the first.
Hall’s Backhoe would answer emphatically.
Grace Rains and Ashton Whiles came up with back-to-back hits to lead off the first inning before Emily Mikkola got her team on their feet for good with one swing. Mikkola jumped on a 1-0 offering from Damon and sent the ball sailing toward the left-field fence. Mikkola’s teammates watched in awe as the ball floated over the fence and helped Hall’s Backhoe cut the deficit to 5-3.
Alyssa Jones would cap a high-scoring first frame with a RBI single to get Hall’s Backhoe within one of the lead. Ben Lomand first baseman Madison Merriman ended the inning by turning an unassisted double play on a line drive.
Hall’s Backhoe wouldn’t take the lead for good until the third inning, when the heart of the order rolled through for a second time.
Whiles, the winning pitcher, started the third inning with a double. Mikkola joined her teammate on base when she was hit with a pitch, putting two on and nobody out for the clean-up hitter, Lexie Chadwell.
Chadwell did her job as she laced a double into the gap that scored Whiles and Mikkola, giving Hall’s Backhoe its first lead of the game. The home team would keep rolling as Jones added a RBI double before Kansas Hennessee and Abby Blanton slapped run-scoring singles.
Hall’s Backhoe scored its 10th unanswered run in the fourth inning when Mikkola drilled a RBI double to score Whiles.
Hall’s Backhoe looked destined to carry its 10-5 advantage to the very end, but Ben Lomand had one final rally up its sleeve.
Mallory Shelton began the sixth-inning charge with a lead-off single, one Cox followed with a single of her own. Whiles settled down to strike out the next batter, one of seven K’s she had in the championship, but Young followed with her second two-run double in the contest. 
Caylie Sherrell followed with a RBI single to cut the deficit to 10-8.
Ben Lomand had its chance following a two-out Merriman single which put the tying run aboard, but Whiles was able to end the game on a groundout to preserve the victory.
Whiles pitched all six innings to earn the victory for Hall’s Backhoe. She also finished 3-for-3 at the plate.
Mikkola, Jones and Hennessee added two hits apiece while Rains, Chadwell, Blanton and Sarah Ruiz had one hit each for Hall’s Backhoe.
Young finished the championship game 3-for-3 with four RBIs for Ben Lomand. Sherrell chipped in two hits, followed by one hit each from Damon, Cox, Merriman, Shelton, Emory Anish and Kyra Garrison.