Championship Stuff

Lady Tornadoes/Lady Mountaineers deliver classic

By Stefan Cooper
Editor
Blount Press Row

In a perfect world, all championship games, mandated by law, go down to the last half inning with two outs, the bases loaded and the game tied.

Top-seed Alcoa and No. 2-seed Heritage authored such a thriller in the District 5AAA tournament title tilt last week at Dawn Marsh Field.

Makenna McCarter worked a four-pitch walk from Lady Mountaineer ace Katelyn Russell in the Lady Tornado seventh, forcing sophomore Raya Inge home from third with the winning run, and Alcoa claimed the league crown with a 6-5, come-from-behind win.

Both teams return to the diamond with region tournament play this afternoon.

Alcoa (36-2) hosts Signal Mountain at 6. Heritage (23-14) travels to Soddy Daisy in the other region semifinal.

The region championship game is set for Wednesday.

“Good teams find a way to win,” Alcoa coach Sarah Bailey said of the district title clash.

The Lady Tornadoes came out firing in their half of the opening inning, with a shot through the infield from Inge pushing Halle Bailey and Daja Casby across for an early 2-0 lead. Kaylea Osborne followed immediately with an infield blast to get Alison Chapman home.

Heritage roared back in its half of the third, Russell delivering the big blow with a three-run bomb off the scoreboard in centerfield. The strike put the Lady Mountaineers out front, 4-3, marking the first runs for Heritage against the Lady Tornadoes this season.

Alcoa took the previous three meetings this season by shutout.

The Lady Mountaineers opened the lead to 5-3 in their half of the fifth, Emma Lonas doubling to left to bring Elishia Byrd to the dish.

Chipping away, Alcoa reduced the deficit to a single run entering the bottom of the seventh, setting the stage for the McCarter/Inge dramatics.

“That’s a state-tournament type game,” Heritage coach Jeff Sherman said.

We could get behind that.