RETURN ENGAGEMENT
The Lafayette Lady Ramblers advanced to the Elite Eight last season. It marked the second all-time appearance for the Orange-and-black in Columbus and their first trip in a decade.
They didn’t have to wait nearly as long for trip No. 3.
After dropping a one-run decision at No. 6-ranked Hampton Wednesday afternoon in the first game of a three-game series, the Lady Ramblers responded with a one-run victory in the nightcap before beating Hampton star pitcher Skylar Trahan in Thursday’s decisive Game 3 to play their way in a spot in the Class 4A quarterfinal tournament.
“This is absolutely unreal,” head coach Meagan Base said after arriving back in south Walker County on Thursday night. “Our girls have worked their tails off and they really deserve this.”
Hampton 3, Lafayette 2
The Lady Ramblers gave up a pair of runs on a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the second inning, but got a run back against Trahan in the top of the fifth as an error, a sacrifice bunt and a single set the table for Nicky Yancy, who plated Haynie Gilstrap with an Rbi-single.
Lafayette would give the run right back a half-inning later as Hampton scored on an error, but the Lady Ramblers would look to rally in the top of the seventh.
Abby Sansing walked and Marquila Howell bunted for a hit before Yancy laid down a sacrifice bunt. Sam Adkins came through with an Rbisingle to cut the lead down to one and later took second base without a throw as the Lady Ramblers put two runners in scoring position with one out.
But Trahan, the University of South Carolina commit, would get a strikeout and a final flyball to centerfield to escape the jam and seal the win. She allowed six hits and three walks in seven innings, while striking out 12 batters and allowing just one earned run.
Lafayette also left runners at second and third in the top of the first inning and again in the fifth. They stranded a runner at second base in the fourth and sixth innings.
Howell and Madi Ashley were each 2-for-3 at the plate. Yancy pitched four innings and took the loss. She allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk, while Madison Pettigrew pitched two innings of relief. She gave up an unearned run on one hit and two walks and finished with three strikeouts.
Lafayette 5, Hampton 4
Tied 1-1 after two innings, the Orange-and-black would break through off Hampton starter Jana Shellhorse with three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Two runs scored on a double by Yancy, who later came home on an Rbi-single by Pettigrew.
Shellhorse, who also had a triple in the game, tied things up in the top of the fifth with a big three-run homer. However, Railee Lynn doubled to start the bottom of the sixth inning before stealing third and scoring what would become the winning run on a groundout by Sansing.
Pettigrew and Lynn had two hits each, while Lynn finished with a pair of stolen bases. Ashley also added a double.
Pettigrew got the start in the circle. She pitched 2.2 innings, giving up one hit and three walks with three strikeouts. Yancy pitched 4.1 innings in relief to pick up the victory. She allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Lafayette 2, Hampton 0
Trahan entered Thursday’s rubber game having only given up 51 hits and 22 walks in 83.2 innings this season, meaning Lafayette would have to make the most of whatever opportunities were afforded to them in Game 3.
And that’s exactly what they did.
The Lady Ramblers were able to scratch out a pair of runs in the series clincher and ride the combined pitching of Yancy and Pettigrew to a win over the Region 4 champions.
Scoreless through three innings of play, senior Marquila Howell reached base with a leadoff single in the fourth. Yancy would lay down a sacrifice bunt and Howell would use her exceptional speed to take both second and third base on the play. Later, with two outs in the inning, Pettigrew came through with a clutch two-out, Rbi-single.
The Hornets threatened in the bottom half of the inning with runners at second and third and one out. But Yancy would get a comebacker to the circle and threw home to catcher Madi Ashley, who tagged out Cheyenne Godfrey at the plate for a big second out. Yancy then induced a pop-up in foul territory to strand a runner at third and get out of the jam.
Needing an insurance run, Howell once again delivered as she bunted for a sixth-inning leadoff single before promptly stealing both second and third base. Trahan would get the first out of the inning via strikes, but Howell would come racing home on a 6-3 groundout by Ashley as the Lady Ramblers doubled their lead.
“That’s why Marquila bats lead-off for us,” Base added. “We knew we were going to have to play some small ball against (Trahan) and she just put it in play and beat them out. She’s done it for us all year. She’s just unreal.”
After four strong innings from Yancy, Pettigrew would come on to pitch in the fifth. She issued a single and a walk with two outs in her first inning, but pitched out of danger. It would be the last threat for the Hornets as Pettigrew struck out five of the last six hitters she faced, including all three in the bottom of the seventh, to seal the victory.
Haynie Gilstrap had the only other hit of the game for Lafayette as both teams managed just four hits each. Yancy scattered three hits and struck out three batters to get the win, while Pettigrew fanned six batters in three innings to pick up the save.
“We’ve rode Nicky all year, especially when we lost Madison for a while (with an ankle injury) and she’s pitched well all year,” Base continued. “Madison came in (in Game 3) and just shut them down. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Base went on to say that her team would be ready to battle in Columbus.
“I love the way this team just fights back,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of heart and we don’t give up. I like our chances.”