One big inning was enough to get the job done for the Greeneville softball team on Friday afternoon as the Lady Greene Devils jumped in front of North Greene quickly and held on for a 9-7 win.
“I was super proud of the girls, they came out ready to play today and got off to a really good start,” Greeneville coach Lilly Million said. “We kind of got comfortable in the last few innings and I didn’t love that. Moving forward we need to keep laying it on teams, but overall I’m very pleased to get the win.”
The win ended a six-game skid for the Lady Greene Devils, and they will be hopeful that carries into next week with important District 2-3A games with Volunteer and Grainger upcoming.
The Lady Greene Devils started the day with three runs in the top of the first inning. Baylee Ramsey was hit by a pitch and Kaley Garland snuck a single past the third baseman.
With the infield in Brooke Parsley smacked a groundball through the left side to score the first two runs of the day. She went on to score on a groundout.
North Greene was able to get one of those runs back in the bottom of the first inning. Addi Dean led off by going the opposite way, and when the ball was overrun in the grass she ended up on second. Matti Phillips scored her on a sacrifice fly to left field.
The side ended with two Lady Huskies stranded in scoring position, and that proved to be a theme on Friday. Greeneville’s defense stranded eight North Greene runners in scoring position in the two-run win.
“I’m super proud of Brooke (Parsley) behind the plate, she was a wall today. Our defensive approach is to minimize what they can do,” Million said. “We know North Greene is a good team who is going to get on base. We just want to keep them where they are at. The girls understood that we had to hold them, and it worked today.”
Pitcher Brynlee Jones was a big reason for those timely defensive stops as she ended four innings with a strikeout. She finished the complete-game effort with nine strikeouts, nine walks and seven hits allowed.
“Not all of Brynlee’s pitches were working today, but our defense backed her up. She has thrown a lot of pitches lately, and we are at that point in the season where pitchers are really hurting, but she pushed through it to get the win. She sets the tone defensively and I’m super proud of her,” Million said.
The Lady Greene Devils broke the game open in the second inning with six runs on six hits. Katie Johnson got things started by skipping a ground ball over second base. Brylee Tullock then smacked a groundball through the left side and Ramsey walked to load the bases.
Garland cleared the bases when she blasted a three-run double into left field. Jones followed that with an RBI double straight up the middle for a 7-1 lead.
Parsley fired a single into left field and Gabby Atchison knocked in the final two runs of the frame by sending a groundball down the third-base line for a 9-1 advantage.
“Softball is a game of momentum. One hit leads to two, and two leads to three. When they see the girls in front of them get on base it makes them want to do it a little more. The energy grew and they just followed one after another. Good things happen when you put the ball in play, and that is all we ask of them,” Million said.
Hannah Brook took over on the rubber and largely quieted Greeneville’s bats the rest of the way, but the lead proved too big to overcome. Brooks went 5 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts, one walk and five hits allowed.
North Greene was able to dent that lead in the bottom of the second when Dean sent a line drive to left field that scored Kinlea Eastep from second.
The Lady Huskies got one more run to cross in the third frame. Brooks started things by banging a double off the left field fence. An infield error allowed her courtesy runner, Kylee Listek, to score and close the gap to 9-3.
In the fourth inning Eastep walked and made it to third on a steal and passed ball before scoring on a groundout by Josie Graham.
North Greene closed the gap to 9-5 in the sixth inning. Eastep got the side started by beating out a groundball to the right side. Dean put her on third by dropping a pop up into shallow centerfield. Graham then knocked her in on a sacrifice fly.
In the seventh inning North Greene added two more runs, but the rally ended with the tying run at the plate. Eva Leonard scored on a passed ball, and Dean sent a line drive up the middle that pushed across Eastep. Jones then ended the game with a strikeout.
Greeneville finished the night with 11 hits. Garland was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Atchison was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Parsley went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Tullock was 2-for-4 and Jones had a double.
North Greene earned seven hits on Friday with Dean going 4-for-5 with two RBIs from her leadoff spot. Eastep was 2-for-3 and scored four runs. Brooks had a double, and Leonard worked four walks.
Greeneville will be back in action on Monday against David Crockett at Hardin Park. North Greene will visit Unicoi County Monday.
