During last year’s Class 1A state softball tournament at Lagoon Park, the Spring Garden Lady Panthers eliminated Pleasant Home on a walk-off home run from Carly Mitchell.
On Saturday, the two teams faced each other in the same round and on the same field again. Only this time, the result was different.
Second-ranked Pleasant Home scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to end No. 9 Spring Garden’s season with a 2-0 loss.
Erin Byrd led off the ninth inning with a single and advanced to third on two Spring Garden errors. Byrd then scored on a fielder’s choice by Kayla Woods to put Pleasant Home up 1-0. Woods later scored on another Lady Panther error in the inning.
Spring Garden (25-8) had one last chance in the bottom of the ninth, but Pleasant Home pitcher Brentin Fuller retired the Lady Panthers in order to seal the win.
Fuller gave up just two hits and recorded nine strikeouts. The Lady Panthers hits came off the bats of Tara Mullinax and Lindsey Lambert. Both went 1 for 3.
That’s not to say the Lady Panthers weren’t putting the bat to the ball. Several Spring Garden hitters made contact, but Pleasant Home’s defense was in the right places at the right times.
“There were several little bloop hits that I thought might fall, but they (Pleasant Home) just kept coming and catching them off the ground,” Spring Garden coach Ann Welsh said. “We hit right at people, and we just couldn’t do anything to solve it. We just couldn’t find the holes.”
Bree Blevins suffered the tough-luck loss. She pitched all nine innings and surrendered five hits with a walk and 16 strikeouts. Megan Cook led Pleasant Home’s offense by going 3 for 4. Woods was 1 for 4 with a RBI. Byrd was also 1 for 4.
“I felt like we could give all we could give, and they were just a little bit better than us today,” Welsh said. “It’s heartbreaking, because I felt like we could have continued with anybody out here. We lost on defense (Friday) and turned around and played good (Saturday). It just wasn’t enough. We did all we could do. It just wasn’t our day.”
Welsh went on to say there’s no reason why the Lady Panthers shouldn’t be in contention for the 1A title next season. Spring Garden has no seniors on its 2009 roster and only one junior in first baseman Brianna Messer.
“I’m real proud of how they improved as the season went along,” Welsh said. “I’m impressed with the way they’ve hard and come together as a team.
“I don’t know of any reason we shouldn’t be back. They’re just going to have to work hard in the off-season, find something that they can improve on as individuals and improve as a team.”
Blevins shares her coach’s sentiments.
“We’ve been so close the past couple of years. All of us are going to want to improve and want it more.”
Spring Garden 3, Lynn 2 – In Spring Garden’s first game on Saturday, Blevins was the story. She struck out 21 batters and set an Alabama High School Athletic Association state record for most in a non-extra inning game.
The Lady Panthers scored a pair of runs in the first and another in the fourth and held on for the win.
Jordan Sides led off the game with a walk and later scored on an error by Lynn pitcher Vicki Elkins. Messer had a RBI-single to right that scored Mullinax with two outs to give Spring Garden a 2-0 advantage.
Sixth-ranked Lynn got one of those runs back on a solo home run to left center by Lindsey Tompkins.
Lynn loaded the bases in the third with one out, but Blevins was able to get out of the jam by striking out Ashley Walker and Maggie Finley.
In the top of the fourth, Spring Garden was also able to load the bases with no outs but managed only a run. Ivy Franklin had a RBI-single to center that scored Blevins, who reached on a double to center to lead off the inning. Blevins’ run made it 3-1 Spring Garden.
Lynn mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh. With a pair of runners on and one out, Tompkins had a RBI-single to center that scored Ellie Pendley. Blevins recovered to strike out two of the next three Lynn hitters for the final.
Blevins earned the win after giving up two runs on five hits.
Elkins suffered the loss. She gave up all three Spring Garden runs on five hits with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts.
Tompkins and Reagan Tittle both went 2 for 4 for Lynn.
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