Chattanooga Times Free Press

Lady Seahawks rebound from loss with 17-4 title win

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Silverdale Baptist Academy earned the first TSSAA Division II-A East District 2 softball title, although it took two games Tuesday at Chattanoog­a Christian.

CCS edged the Lady Seahawks 8-7 in the first game of the finals, but Silverdale bounced back in a big way with a 17-4 victory in six innings.

Both teams, along with Boyd-Buchanan and Grace Academy, will move on to the East Region tournament. The latter portion of that also will be held at CCS next week.

Silverdale (22-6) had three big innings in the second game, starting with a five-run second. The Lady Seahawks broke things open with a fourrun fifth and a seven-run sixth. They had two hits in each of those innings.

SBA’s slugging leadoff batter, Kaili Phillips, was intentiona­lly walked all 10 plate appearance­s in the two game — six coming in the second game when she scored four runs after scoring three times in the first game. Cleanup batter Skylar Sheridan was the recipient of six intentiona­l walks on the night but went 3-for-3 the times the Lady Chargers pitched to her, including a grand slam in the second game.

Savannah Turner, who batted between Phillips and Sheridan, went 4-for-5 in the second game with two doubles and five RBIs after going 2-for-4 with an RBI in the first game. No. 8 batter Marlee Montgomery contribute­d a three-run double in the nightcap, and No. 9 batter Kenzie Manning scored three runs.

“We told them we were going to have to get help, especially from the bottom of the lineup,” SBA coach Tim Couch said, referring to the treatment Phillips and Sheridan were receiving. “We made some adjustment­s to the lineup for the second game. As we move along, other teams might be going to try to do that, too. We try to stick our best six hitters together. We look at on-base percentage­s and quality at-bats.

“I’m proud of them. They played hard. We’re not the most skilled team around.”

Maddie Tankersley pitched every inning for the Lady Seahawks on the night and also had two RBIs in each game.

CCS (17-12) went through three pitchers in the second game, including Madison Hollis, who went the distance and was the winning pitcher in the first game. After the Lady Chargers broke a tie at 4 with a four-run fourth, Silverdale got three in the bottom half before Hollis shut them down the rest of the way.

“Regardless of the score at the end, I’m very proud of my kids,” CCS coach Lisa Gray said. “They came out and fought. They did not just roll over.

“I think that last game it was going to come down to which teams could make the adjustment­s. I think both teams were tired, mentally and emotionall­y. I know in our dugout the kids don’t sit down the whole time. We have to go forward. We’ve got to remember to let game one set the tone for us from here on. We could run into them again as early as next week.”

Mary Vandergrif­f symbolized Gray’s words about fighting to the end by hitting a home run with two outs in the last inning of the night. She had gone 3-for-3 with another home run and a double in the first game and had four RBIs and scored twice in that one.

Savannah Ricketts had a run-scoring double for the Lady Chargers in the first game and joined Rachel Kay and Lauren Kay with run-scoring singles in the second game. Lauren Day, Madison Vandergrif­f and Hollis all had RBI singles in the first game.

Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreep­ress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmid­die.

 ?? STAFF PHOTOS BY ROBIN RUDD ?? Silverdale Baptist Academy’s Skylar Sheridan celebrates her three-run triple against Chattanoog­a Christian School on Tuesday in the Division II-A East District 2 tournament finals.
STAFF PHOTOS BY ROBIN RUDD Silverdale Baptist Academy’s Skylar Sheridan celebrates her three-run triple against Chattanoog­a Christian School on Tuesday in the Division II-A East District 2 tournament finals.

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