Heritage takes two of three from Central
The Heritage Generals, still the top-ranked team in Class AAAA, suffered their first Region 7-AAAA loss of the season last week, but still took two of three against third-ranked Central-Carroll to maintain their lead in the region standings going into the final week of the regular season.
Heritage 1, Central 0
Pinch runner Gracie Dawson scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and the Generals took the series opener early on Wednesday afternoon.
Hits were scarce for both teams in the opener as Central sent Karley Fuller to the circle opposite Heritage ace Rachel Gibson.
Bailey Christol made it all the way to third base with two outs in the bottom of the first, but was left stranded, while the Lady Lions left runners at first in the second and sixth innings. They got a runner to second base in the seventh before Gibson’s 11th and final strikeout of the game ended the inning.
Central also threatened in the fourth with a one-out single, but Gibson lunged to her left to snare a liner before throwing to Carmen Gayler at first to double up the runner and escape the jam.
However, in the bottom of the seventh, Bailey Davis recorded her second single of the game and Dawson would take second on a sacrifice bunt by Morgan Phillips before moving to third on a ground out by Lexi Duckett.
That brought Savannah Wilson to the plate with two outs. Wilson showed bunt on a 1-1 offering, but the pitched sailed high, allowing Dawson to scoot home from third with the winning run.
Davis was the only player in the game with multiple hits as she went 2 for 3. Duckett, Wilson and Christol also had singles. Gibson, the Clemson commit, allowed just four hits and did not walk a batter in seven innings.
Fuller pitched 6.2 strong innings, but suffered the loss. She allowed five hits and one walk and finished with two strikeouts.
Central 8, Heritage 5
In the Wednesday’s nightcap, the Generals suffered their first loss in region play this season. The Navy-andRed fell behind 4-0 after one inning and trailed 6-0 going into the bottom of the third.
They trimmed the deficit to 6-3 going into the top of the sixth, but the Lady Lions tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh and the Generals could only match them with two runs in the bottom half of the frame.
Riley Kokinda had a single, double and drove in one run for Heritage, Gayler, Davis and Madeline Stone were each 1 for 4 with an RBI.
Brinley Horner started the game for Heritage, but was replaced by Kelsey Anderson, who gave up two earned runs and one walk with six strikeouts in a lengthy relief appearance.
Heritage 3, Central 1
The Generals traveled south to Carroll County on Thursday for Game 3 and it would be a rematch of the pitching match-up from Game 1. Gibson gave up an unearned run on just two hits and one walk in seven innings, finishing with a dozen strikeouts, while Fuller fanned nine batters in
seven innings for the Lady Lions. She allowed five hits and walked three batters.
The Generals got all the offense they would need in the top of the first inning as Gayler belted a three-run homer.
Central would put two on with one out in the bottom of the seventh before scoring a run on an error. However,
Gibson would bear down to get a strikeout and a fly ball to center to end the game with the potential tying runs on second and third base.
Kokinda went 2 for 3 with a pair of stolen bases in the win, while Christol and Phillips each had singles.
Heritage (19-5, 13-1) was scheduled to host Ridgeland in a doubleheader on Tuesday of this week before traveling to Rossville to close out the Region 7-AAAA slate on Thursday.