— The Calhoun Lady Jackets came into Thursday’s action at the Region 6-AAA Tournament knowing they needed two wins to keep their hopes of winning a region title alive, and that’s exactly what they got.
The Lady Jackets defeated Sonoraville, 8-3, first in an elimination game to set up a rematch with Ringgold, who had defeated them on Wednesday to force them into the loser’s bracket. And then Calhoun came through with another clutch win, 61, to force a decisive final game with the Lady Tigers on Friday.
“The girls weren’t down after the loss to Ringgold. They came back excited and fired up to play,” said Smith of her team’s effort on Thursday. “They had a great attitude today, and we played great defense, which we’ve struggled with in the first few games of the tournament. We just took care of business tonight.”
In the first game of the afternoon, Calhoun (25-3) and Sonoraville (16-13) battled for the first few innings to a 2-2 tie before the Lady Jackets put five runs on the board in the fifth to break the game open.
The Lady Jackets’ offense was led by Allie Jones who had two hits and two RBIs. Emily Mitchell also had two hits and an RBI, and Emily Weatherman and Ryan Brzozoski had two hits apiece. Tori Roper also had a two-RBI triple off the bench.
Mitchell earned the win in relief, pitching two innings and giving up just one hit while striking out one.
Sonoraville got two hits, including a double, and an RBI from Harleigh Chastain. Erin Whitlock also had two hits and an RBI, and Kolbey Smith had a hit and an RBI.
The loss for the Lady Phoenix came a day after they rallied in the final inning to defeat Coahulla Creek to earn their third straight State Tournament berth. They then defeated Adairsville on a lastinning hit to secure no less than a No. 3 seed.
“I told the girls to come out and play lose today because we had nothing to lose,” said Sonoraville coach Chad Hayes. “I knew we had to match Calhoun’s intensity. We got a run early that was big, and we battled hard, just ran out of gas.
“I feel good about this team going into State, though. We’ve had to overcome adversity so I feel good about them in those situations. We’ve made it to State the last two years. Now, we’ve got to get over that hump of advancing. I feel good about our chances.”
In the nightcap, Calhoun grabbed the lead on Ringgold in the second inning with two runs and then put it away with a three-run sixth. Kinsey Liscio was solid on in the circle, giving up just one run on five hits while striking out six.
Offensively, Brzozoski had a triple among two hits and an RBI, Weatherman added two hits, Ashlyn Barnes had a hit and two RBIs, Mitchell had a double and an RBI and Maddie Bumgardner drove in a run.
The Lady Jackets had lost their previous three meetings to Ringgold this season, including a 9-5 loss on Wednesday that knocked Calhoun into the loser’s bracket.
Smith said her team was ready for the challenge again on Friday.
“I’m proud of these girls for coming back the way they did,” said Smith. “Our goal has been to win a region title again this year, and now, we have a chance to do that after it didn’t look good last night. These girls never stopped thinking they could get it done.”