A determined Lady Vikings team looked to play its way into the state softball playoffs, despite the best record in school history at 9-11 overall. Avery hosted upstart Thomas Jefferson, a team whom the Vikings had split two regular season games, with each team capturing victory at home. For the Lady Vikings, their season came to an abrupt end on a sunny Monday afternoon in Newland, as Thomas Jefferson escaped Avery with a 6-1 victory to advance in the state playoffs.The Thomas Jefferson defense was outstanding throughout the game, as hit after Avery hit was robbed by a number of sterling defensive plays. Diving stops, accurate throws, line drive catches, and double plays may have been an early indication that is wasn't going to be a great day for the Big Red.
TJCA got on the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the top of the first. An RBI base hit, as well as a wild pitch allowed a run to score, giving the Gryphons the early 2-0 lead. Avery threatened in the bottom of the frame when leadoff hitter Morgan Yackey got on with a double, but she was caught stealing at third base to end the inning.
The Gryphons put a pair of runners on in the second, but starter Morgan Yackey induced a pair of outs on a pop up and ground out to escape with no additional runs allowed to cross the plate. Avery's lineup was retired 1-2-3 in the second, then both teams repeated the feat in the third inning to hold the score at 2-0 in favor of the visitors.
After retiring the Gryphons in the top of the fourth, Avery looked poised to put runs on the board when senior catcher Sara Singleton laced a one-out single to right center field. Unfortunately she was doubled off base when the pitcher caught a line drive from the bat of Justina Rieger and fired the ball back to first in time for a double play to end the frame.
Thomas Jefferson added to its lead in the top of the fifth with a run off a trio of singles, the last one scoring a runner from second to pad the Gryphon lead to 3-0. The Thomas Jefferson pitcher was dominant throughout the contest, retiring the Vikings in order in the bottom of the fifth to preserve the three-run margin.
The top of the sixth was a tough frame for the Big Red, as the Gryphons took advantage of a number of errors for three more insurance runs. Three of the first four hitters in the inning reached base due to Avery gaffes. A wild pitch and pair of throwing errors in the field accounted for each of the runs in the inning which put the Lady Vikings in a 6-0 hole.
"Unfortunately that inning was kind of a microcosm of our season. When we have one bad mistake happen in an inning it seems that they compound on top of each other like that snowball that rolls downhill," Avery head softball coach Merritt Yackey said after the game.
Avery tried to rally yet again as Amber Clark rapped a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth, but was stranded on a pop-out to end the inning.
Thomas Jefferson worked a walk and advanced a runner to second base in the top of the seventh, but Yackey struck out a pair of hitters to quell the threat and give Avery one final attempt to come back.
Avery showed signs of life in the bottom of the seventh and final inning as leadoff batter Singleton ripped a double to center field. Justina Rieger followed Singleton's hit with an RBI double of her own, plating Singleton to put the Vikings on the board and cut the lead to 6-1. Samantha Shook singled to center field to put runners on the corners. The Thomas Jefferson hurler buckled down, however, and struck out Avery's next three hitters in succession to seal the Gryphon victory and halt the Lady Viking season.
"We didn't get a break today. It was one of those days that, to their credit, they made a number of great plays, and we just needed one thing for us to get on track offensively, and it never did," Avery head softball coach Merritt Yackey said following the game. "We put a runner on early but could not generate a run which really hurt. I think they had only one earned run, and defensively we struggled all year."
The coach also responded to whether he felt the late notice by the high school association and the fact his team had to play on Monday rather than on Tuesday affected his squad. "We met at around 9:30 a.m. with the team to discuss the game and try to get them ready. I'm sure it may have had an effect of some kind, how much I don't know because we had beaten them pretty easily the previous time we played them here."
Avery closes its season at 9-13 overall, with a 3-9 conference mark, school records in each category. Congratulations to Big Red Softball on a great season!
