Heritage, Ringgold claim state softball titles
Heritage wins second straight title on dramatic triple play
The Heritage Generals’ 2018 season ended memorably with the program’s first-ever fastpitch state softball title in Columbus as the Navy-and-red won the game in walk-off fashion.
But with the Generals having a chance to clinch their second consecutive state title on their own home field last Monday, they turned the dial up to 11 on the memorability scale.
Leading Marist 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, but with the War Eagles having two runners in scoring position and no outs, Heritage served up what will likely go down as the most memorable play in the history of GHSA fastpitch softball.
With television cameras, cell phone cameras and a packed stadium watching, Heritage used a triple play to erase Marist’s attempt at a rally and seal the Class 4A state title.
“I’ve never been a part of a triple play at all,” said Heritage head coach Tanner Moore. “Much less one to win a state championship.”
The game had started in Columbus last Saturday and had gone to the top of the seventh inning with Marist holding a 3-2 lead.
Madeline Stone drove in Zoe Wright with an Rbi-single in the top of the first for Heritage, only to see Marist tie the game a half-inning later. A great home throw from leftfield by Morgan Phillips would end the inning and keep the score tied.
The War Eagles would use two singles and an error to plate two runs in the bottom of the second inning to take the lead. Riley Kokinda would drive in Bailey Christol in the top of the third inning, but that would be all the runs Heritage could muster through the next three innings.
But things would change in a hurry in the top of the seventh.
Wright led off the inning with a walk, which was followed by a Kokinda double. Carmen Gayler hit a pop-up on the infield moments later, but Marist misplayed the flyball, allowing Wright to speed home from third with the tying run. Tournament officials would then halt play in all games at the South Commons Complex because of the increasing rainfall shortly thereafter.
Some two-and-a-half hours later, the decision was made resume play on Monday at the school who had come through the Elite Eight winner’s bracket unbeaten. That meant the Generals would have a chance to win the title in their own backyard.
An already excitable crowd at Heritage got even louder once the game resumed when Kokinda raced home on a passed ball to give Heritage the lead. Stone singled past the shortstop to bring in Gayler with Heritage’s fifth run and, following a sacrifice bunt by Rachel Gibson, Lexi Duckett burned a drawn-in Marist outfield for a two-out, Rbi-double to make it 6-3.
“We got the passed ball, which kind of helped, and then Madeline came up with the big hit and Lexi had another big two-out hit that was huge,” Moore explained. “It was huge to get that kind of relief.”
Generals’ fans sensing victory were quieted somewhat when Heritage made two straight errors to start the bottom of the seventh. The two miscues put a pair of runners in
scoring position with no outs as Marist pitcher Lexi Van Meter stepped to plate representing the tying run.
Van Meter would lift a ball into shallow right where it was gloved by Bailey Davis, who then made a nice throw to Stone covering the plate to prevent the runner at third from scoring.
However, the runner at second base got caught too far off the bag and Stone fired the ball across the diamond to Wright, who was covering second on the play.
Wright, the shortstop, would chase down the runner and apply the tag for the second out when the runner at third suddenly broke for the plate.
Wright then fired a strike back to Stone at home, who applied the tag to complete the 9-2-6-2 triple play that gave Heritage the championship.
“Those two-out hits and those two runs (in the top of the seventh) were all so big because of the errors we made (in the bottom of the seventh),” Moore continued. “I was able just to go out there and tell them that we could care less if those two runs scored. We just had to go after the hitters. That’s really all we could do, just get the next three hitters. It really gave them an ease of mind. I just didn’t expect to get (all three outs) on one pitch.”
Kokinda finished 3-for-4 for Heritage, while Avery Fantucci was the only Marist player with multiple hits as she went 2-for-4.
Gibson got the victory after pitching seven innings of five-hit ball. She walked three batters and struck out five, while only one of the runs she allowed was earned.
Van Meter took the loss after one inning of relief. She allowed one hit and one unearned run with two strikeouts. Ashley Haertel started the game for Marist on Saturday and pitched six innings, but got no decision.
Heritage closed out the year with a 29-6 overall record. They ended the year on a 16-game winning streak.
“We’ve got so many good girls on this team,” Moore added. “They’re good people. They come in and they work hard. They’re busting it in the weight room and they know what it takes to win. I’m just so proud of them.”