MCMINNVILLE, Tenn. —A spirited effort by the Warren County High School softball team in the District 6-AAA tournament ended Wednesday night with a third-place finish.
The Lady Pioneers were one win away from playing for the championship after eliminating Stone Memorial and White County, but the run ended late Wednesday night with a 10-0 loss to Rhea County.
Warren County (8-23) was pushed to the brink of elimination last Friday in the opening round when it lost 5-4 in 10 innings to White County, but the Lady Pioneers bounced back to beat Stone Memorial 7-5 Tuesday. Warren County also got its revenge against the Warriorettes with a 4-3 victory Wednesday, though the team didn’t seem to have enough left in the tank to take on the Lady Eagles late Wednesday night in Crossville.
While the lopsided loss to end the season stung, Lady Pioneer coach David Upton had nothing but good things to say about his group’s third-place finish in the District 6-AAA tournament.
“I was extremely pleased with how our girls played in the tournament,” said Upton. “We fought hard and played really well. I think this group grew as the season went along.”
Last Friday’s thrilling game against White County proved to be the best contest in the tournament. Warren County led 1-0 going into the seventh inning, but Madison Gardenhire’s solo home run sent the game into extra innings.
Both teams scored one in the eighth and White County followed with two runs in the top of the ninth. Down to their last out in the bottom of the ninth, freshman Neva Tackett came to the plate as the potential tying run.
Ty Ramirez was standing on second base when Tackett sent a pitch flying over the center-field fence to knot the score once again.
Though the home run by the talented freshman gave the Lady Pioneers plenty to cheer, the celebration was short-lived.
White County scored another run in the top of the 10th inning and was able to keep the Lady Pioneers off the board to send Warren County into the loser’s bracket.
With its back against the wall, Warren County came out swinging against Stone Memorial Tuesday night.
The Lady Pioneers plated six runs in the top of the first en route to a two-run victory over the Lady Panthers.
Lindsey Cox and Chelsey Chandler got the team off to a hot start with RBI singles before Lexi Locke broke the game open with a three-run double that scored Cox, Chandler and Tackett.
Stone Memorial would come back with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. The Lady Panthers added two more runs in the third to slice the Lady Pioneer lead to 6-4. Cox, the eventual winner, and Kailyn Cantrell were able to hold Stone Memorial with one more run the rest of the way though to preserve the victory.
Ramirez added an insurance run with a RBI single in the sixth inning.
The win advanced the Lady Pioneers into a rematch with White County Wednesday night. For the second time in less than a week, the Lady Pioneers and Warriorettes played another epic game that went down to the wire. In the second game, Warren County was the team that would make the late rally to win.
Warren County trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the sixth inning. Cantrell, who entered in the fourth inning and shut down the Warriorettes, came into the dugout imploring her team to find some offense after getting only two hits in the first five innings. The Lady Pioneers responded to the request of their senior captain.
Ramirez, Tackett and Chandler opened the inning with three straight singles to load the bases with no outs. Locke pushed the first of three runs across with a RBI groundout. Tackett knotted the score at 3-3 when she took home on a passed ball.
Instead of going into extra innings once again though, freshman Skyler Youngblood came up with the game-winning hit when she singled to score Chandler.
Cantrell was able to earn the win when the Lady Pioneers turned a double play to end the game. Cox snagged a line drive at shortstop while a Warriorette runner sprinted to second base. Cox was able to toss to Tackett at first base to end the game and set up a contest with Rhea County.
With a spot in the District 6-AAA finals and a regional berth on the line, Rhea County scored early and often against the Lady Pioneers.
Cantrell allowed three runs in the opening frame giving way to Cox before getting a third out. Cox would pitch four-plus innings before coach Upton sent his senior out for the final inning of her career. Rhea County was able to plate a run in the sixth inning off Cantrell to end the game by mercy rule.
Warren County couldn’t muster a rally offensively against Rhea County as the team finished with just three hits. Ramirez, Liza Harvey and Abby Hutchins each had hits in the final game.