CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The District 5-AAA high school softball game Monday between host Walker Valley and Soddy-Daisy was about as strategically challenging as possible for both coaching staffs. But the outcome still had to be determined by the players' execution.
Enter the Lady Mustangs' Carly Frost, whose primary role as a batter is to get on base and score runs. But with the bases loaded and two out in a tie game in the bottom of the sixth inning, she sneaked an RBI single through the left side of the infield that ended up lifting Walker Valley to a 2-1 victory.
Walker Valley (15-5, 5-1) retains sole possession of first place in a district that has been full of surprises recently. One of second-place Ooltewah's two league losses was Sunday against Cleveland. Soddy-Daisy (4-3 5-AAA) has a loss to McMinn County, and the Lady Mustangs last Thursday had to rally late for an extra-inning victory over East Hamilton.
"I think what it comes down to is that there's a lot of quality teams in our district," said Walker Valley coach Lauren Limburg, whose 2014 team had a loss to Bradley Central. "You have to come ready to play every game. You can't take any team for granted. I'd put this district against any district in the state."
A.J. Chancey began the Lady Mustangs' sixth by drawing a walk. With two outs, one a sacrifice bunt, Mackenzie Elrod singled up the middle, but hard-charging center fielder Brooke Hale scooped the ball and gunned it home quickly enough that Limburg had to hold her courtesy runner at third.
At that point, Soddy-Daisy coach Wes Skiles removed starting pitcher Emily Edwards and brought in Shonna Penney, who at first had trouble finding the strike zone. A four-pitch walk to Ali King loaded the bases, bringing up Frost.
Penney fell behind her 2-0 but eventually worked the count full. With the runners off with the pitch, the left-handed batting Frost shot a grounder between the third baseman and shortstop to score Newport.
"I was just looking for my pitch so I could try to get the job done," said Frost, who ended up 2-for-2 with two walks. "In a pressure situation I just tell myself, 'I've got to hit the ball to the grass.' Then no matter where it's at, I just look for my pitch."
Hale had three of the seven hits allowed by winning pitcher Alicia Raymond. One was a double in the third, and she scored the Lady Trojans' run when Abby Walker's single was bobbled in the outfield. It was the first of Walker's two hits.
Walker Valley, which hosted the game originally set for Soddy-Daisy, where rain made the field unplayable, tied it on a leadoff homer in the bottom of the fourth.
In her next at-bat, with runners on first and second and two out, Davis was walked intentionally and Edwards made the strategy work by getting out of the jam with a flyout. Skiles' strategy there was simple.
"We wanted somebody else to beat us other than her," he said.
The Lady Trojans had other scoring chances, too. They stranded seven, six on either third or second.
"We didn't get timely hits," Skiles said. "I know we had several in scoring position and we didn't get timely hits."
Raymond, who walked one and struck out two, had something to do with that.
"Alicia stepped up big time," Limburg said. "She always comes to play. She doesn't back down from a challenge."
Edwards gave up four hits and had three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings pitched, but she walked five besides the intentional pass to Davis in her first outing in a week and a half because of back problems. Soddy-Daisy has lost shortstop Jessica Boles for the season to a broken ankle and has some others currently hampered with injuries.
"We've got to control what we can control," Skiles said. "As long as we peak in May, we'll be good."
Contact Kelley Smiddie at sports@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/KelleySmiddie.