It was a perfect day for softball, and the fans at North Greene were treated to extra innings but in the eighth frame Elizabethton was able to push across the decisive run to claim a 4-3 win.
“You just have to be honest with them, we told them it hurts, it should hurt and it if don’t hurt I question why you’re even out here. Anytime you lose a close game like that it’s gonna hurt, we talked about a few little things we need to work on,” North Greene coach Avery Weems.
Weems sent Hannah Brooks inside the circle to face the Lady Cyclones and things didn’t start off well. Katie Gryder and Adrian Heading both greeted Brooks with back-to back singles and a passed ball moved both runners up. With runners at second and third and no outs Brooks was in a major puddle of hot water, but her competitive streak kicked in, coaxing Sadie Williams into a routine fly ball to right and striking out the next two batters to end the threat and the top of the first inning.
In the bottom of the first inning, North Greene’s Addi Dean walked, stole second and went to third on a single by Brooks. Josie Graham then sent a deep fly ball to centerfield that was just short of leaving the ballpark but was plenty deep enough to score Dean from third on the sac-fly and the lady Huskies had the early lead at 1-0.
Brooks put the Lady Cyclones down in order in the top of the second inning. Lacey Gobble did the same to the Lady Huskies in the bottom of the second.
The Lady Cyclones made some noise in the top of the third inning with a runner reaching on an error and a bases on balls, but Brooks got Gobble to pop out to first to end the inning.
In the bottom half of the inning the Lady Huskies struck for two more runs but a bit of bad luck kept it from being more. Matti Phillips laced a double off the fence in left field. Dean followed that with an RBI single to right.
Dean took second on the throw, then on a strange play, it’s unclear whether timeout was not called or asked for or if Dean simply over ran the bag at second base. Wither way Dean was tagged out well after the play looked to be over for out number two of the inning. Brooks then drew a walk, and Kylee Listek was sent in as a courtesy runner for Brooks. Listek scored on an RBI double off the bat of Graham for the 3-0 lead.
Brooks once again faced the minimum in the fourth inning and Gobble was equal to the task as she sat down the Lady Huskies in order also.
Brooks was cruising along in the fifth inning with two outs and a 2-2 count on Gryder. Gryder then hit a seeing-eye single between third and shortstop. Heading then stroked a solid single to right, and Williams came up with the biggest hit of the game, a three-run shot that tied the game at 3 apiece.
Both teams went down quietly in the sixth and seventh innings. In the eighth inning Brooks got Heading to hit a ground ball for out number one, Williams and Brooks then battled and Williams came out on top as she finally walked. After walking she stole second base putting herself into scoring position for Gobble. Gobble, the winning pitcher, then helped herself with an RBI single to centerfield for the go-ahead run. Brooks got the next two batters in order, but the damage had been done, and the Lady Cyclone’s took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth.
Brooks, Graham and Charlie Turnmire all three hit fly ball outs to end the game and the Orange and Black attack from Elizibethton had came to North Greene and escaped with a 4-3 win in extra innings.
Phillips and Graham both had two hits for the Lady Huskies at the plate. Brooks, who took the loss, went the distance scattering six hits over eight innings, striking out eight and only walking two.
For the Lady Cyclones Gobble also went the distance picking up the win inside the circle, fanning 11 and giving up six hits. Williams provided the big three-run home run and also scored what proved to be the winning run in the eighth inning.
