KINGSPORT – No one wants to see all the favorites win all the time throughout a postseason.
Chalk? Yawn. Boring! Chaos is more fun.
The decisive play in Friday’s District 1-4A softball tournament game between Daniel Boone and West Ridge certainly threw some mayhem into the event. After the game went into extra innings, two runs scored on a seemingly routine sacrifice bunt play in the top of the ninth and Boone held on to top the Lady Wolves 3-1 at Indian Highland Park.
Boone (17-14-2) advances to play Science Hill (25-7-1) on Monday in the winner’s bracket final. That game will follow an elimination game between West Rudge (21-11) and D-B (18-14), who had their Friday nightcap suspended in the top of the second inning due to inclement weather.
So, what happened in that weird, wild, and wacky play in the ninth? Let’s break it down.
McKenzie Strouth coaxed a one-out walk after a hard-fought at bat. That brought Addie Greer to the plate and she promptly squared up for a sacrifice bunt. The bunt got fielded cleanly but the throw sailed over the head of the West Ridge first baseman.
Both runners were off to the races.
“I hit second and I looked back and I saw that ball pass, and I just knew I had to go. I started running as hard as I could,” Strouth said.
Strouth circumnavigated all the way around the diamond to score, and Greer made it to third. The play wasn’t over, though. A West Ridge outfielder ended up coming in from third to cover on the play, and her routine throw to the pitcher sailed wide. That allowed Greene to sprint across home plate.
“Just like we drew it up,” Boone coach Jeremy Jenkins joked.
The second run on the play by Greene caught most onlookers by surprise: sports writers who were already updating their scorebook, for example. Also public address announcers, spectators, and even coaches.
“I looked around and the ball’s going around over there at first base to score that third run,” West Ridge coach Eddie Spriggs said.
“I had no idea she was gonna score,” Strouth added. “I was over there celebrating, and I look back and she’s running home and I’m like, heck yeah.”
Greene had a just-the-facts take on the wackiness: “I ran to first and I saw it get away. So then I ran to second and then I could get to third so I ran to third. Then it got by somebody again so I ran home.”
Ava Saul retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to wrap up the win and complete a fantastic outing in the circle. Sidelined from pitching for nearly the entire campaign due to a shoulder problem, Saul worked a nine-inning complete game, allowing a single unearned run on two hits with two walks, striking out seven.
Saul came into this game with 16 innings pitched – total – this season.
“She battled her tail off. Really gutsy performance for us,” Jenkins said. “She said, ‘Coach, I’m not coming out.’ We’ve been throwing on the side and getting her back going the last two weeks.”
“It felt good. It really did. It felt good to get a win. Arm feels great. It feels amazing,” Saul added.
Despite the two miscues in the ninth, West Ridge defense produced a few standout moments earlier in the game. A double play in the third inning squashed a potential big scoring opportunity for Boone. Lily Frazier came up with a huge play in the top of the seventh inning, fielding a two-out single with a pinch runner on second base and throwing out the runner at home after a sublime tag by Wolves catcher Teagan Tipton.
West Ridge got an outstanding pitching performance of its own. Miranda Henley also threw all nine innings, racking up 10 strikeouts while scattering three hits and four walks. Only one of the three runs she yielded was earned.
The rainout of Friday’s elimination game between West Ridge and D-B arguably worked in the Wolves’ favor, with the game beginning almost immediately after such a grueling and gutting defeat.
“That’s a tough draw right there,” Spriggs said. “If you win you’re in good shape to come back Monday but to turn around after that nine innings, that’s a tough loss. That’s a tough bracket.”
The winner of the Boone-Science Hill game guarantees itself a spot in the four-team Region 1 field. That’s familiar territory for Boone, but also a surprise considering the Lady Trailblazers finished last in the regular season and had the No. 4 seed for this event.
Then again, with Saul back at full pitching strength and Boone’s historical track record of postseason success, maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising.
“I’m glad to be an underdog,” Saul said, adding, “Right now we’re hot when we need to be hot.”
The West Ridge and D-B game will resume in the top of the second inning, with two outs and the Tribe having a runner at first base.
| Daniel Boone | 100 | 000 | 002 | -- | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| West Ridge | 010 | 000 | 000 | -- | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Daniel Boone -- Ava Saul and Bella Blanton; West Ridge -- Miranda Henley and Teagan Tipton. W - Saul. L - Henley. 2B - Boone 1 (McKenzie Strouth). SB - West Ridge 1 (Kami Clark). DP - West Ridge 1.
