Sonoraville Lady Phoenix see season end in second round
The Sonoraville Lady Phoenix’s softball team took on Oconee County in Watkinsville on Friday in the second round of the GHSA state playoffs. Despite a valiant effort, the Lady Phoenix (16-10, 133) lost a close first game to the Lady Warriors 2-1 before losing the second game 9-0.
In the first game, Oconee County got two runs on the board, and Sonoraville scored a run via Emma Springfield sending in Daelynn Cochran. Unfortunately for the Lady Phoenix, they could not finish the deal, as they lost a hardfought game in the end by the aforementioned 2-1 score. Sonoraville coach Natasha Hufstetler was proud of her team’s play in the close loss.
“I thought we came out, and we seemed very focused and ready to play,” Hufstetler said. “We just had a little bit of a letdown. A couple of calls didn’t go our way. It just kind of changed the outcome of that inning and let them get a couple of runs. I was really proud of the girls. They really fought back. We got the one run, but we had several opportunities to tie it up and maybe even take the lead. We were just one hit away from busting it open.”
Kelly Green led the Lady Phoenix in batting, going 3-3 from the plate with a double. Taylor Long had a nice day on the mound, throwing 11 strikeouts and giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits. Hufstetler talked about Taylor Long’s pitching performance in the first game.
“She had a great day on the mound,” Hufstetler said. “She only gave up one hard-hit ball in that first game, and it was in the same inning they scored their runs. The rest of the hits they had were just little flares or groundballs. Overall, she had a great game and was very consistent like she’s been all year.”
In the second game, the Lady Phoenix lost 9-0. Hufstetler credits the secondgame woes to her team simply running out of gas.
“I think after losing the first game it’s hard sometimes to bounce back,” Hufstetler said. “The girls seemed like they had the right attitude and were ready to take Game 1. Honestly, it’s just one of those situations where we kind of ran out of gas (in the second game). The other team started hitting Taylor (Long’s pitches). They had a second pitcher that came in and kind of kept us off balance.”
Despite the state tournament elimination, Hufstetler expressed how proud she is of her team and the successful season they have had.
“We told the girls this after the game, and we’ve kind of been saying this all year about how proud we are,” Hufstetler said. “Honestly, with us losing six se
niors last year, a lot of people counted us out. I think it shows you the heart of these kids that they battled. I’m not sure anyone would’ve picked us preseason to be playing for a region championship or go into the second round of state.”
The biggest storyline for the Sonoraville softball team this season has been Hufstetler having to step in for Coach Chad Hayes, who has had to focus on his son Connor Luke’s battle with cancer. The team and members of the Sonoraville community and beyond have rallied
behind the Hayes’ family and Connor Luke in many ways including creating a social media hashtag CLstrong and creating a Facebook page called CL Strong to bring awareness to Connor Luke’s fight and offer encouragement.
The Sonoraville softball team honored Connor Luke and the Hayes’ family by having a CL Strong Night for their home game against Murray County on Oct. 7, in which they wore special jerseys with a yellow ribbon in honor of Connor Luke. The way people have
rallied around the Hayes’ family during this time has been nothing short of commendable and puts things into perspective.
“It’s just amazing how our kids showed up and showed out all season and how they rallied around the Hayes’ family and Connor Luke,” Hufstetler said. “Sometimes, things ( like that) are more important than wins and losses. Just the support we’ve been able to show them for the whole season has been amazing.”