DUNLAP, Tenn. -- The Sequatchie County softball team posed for pictures with the District 7-AA championship plaque.
Nobody filled up a memory card because there weren't many pictures taken. Coach Kelly Somerville would prefer her team posing with mementos that are more difficult to claim -- the region championship plaque, for one, and perhaps the state championship plaque.
The Lady Indians earned the smiling Facebook posts Monday by defeating Grundy County 9-4 in the championship game.
Sequatchie (16-14) will host a Region 4 opening-round game Monday, and Grundy County will travel.
"This was intense," said winning pitcher Emily Yell. "I didn't have much self-confidence."
She had enough, even after allowing a run in the top of the first inning.
"I said, 'Oh, no!' like five times,'" she said. "Then I calmed down and said, 'We'll get to hitting.'"
The Lady Indians followed through on her premonition. A home run from leadoff batter Allyson Davenport tied the game in the first, and they scored six runs in the third to break the game open.
"I've faced Harley (Davis) a lot, and I knew that she'd have to throw a strike to me," Davenport said. "Thankfully, I crushed the one I got."
Davenport made the first out in the bottom of the third, but each of the Lady Indians took a trip to the plate in that crazy frame.
Bailey Longson singled to center. Shiann Stockwell earned an infield hit. Then Amber Kilgore hit a fly ball for what should have been the second out. The right fielder dropped it, allowing two runs to score.
Yell followed with a solid single to center that plated a run. Then the ball slipped under the glove of the center fielder and Yell took off for second and then third base. She popped up from her slide into third and noticed the ball rolling away, so she took off for home -- a T-ball inside-the-park home run.
"I wasn't expecting that at all," Yell said. "I saw the ball rolling away and took off for home."
The Lady Yellow Jackets (14-9) didn't give in and hand the plaque to Sequatchie County. Emily Meeks delivered a two-run double and Davis followed with another double that pulled the Lady Jackets to within 8-4.
Amber Kilgore, who went 3-for-4, drove in a run in the fourth and added another RBI in the sixth, stretching Sequatchie County's lead to 9-4.
"All we needed to do was keep the lead and settle down," Somerville said. "Emily pitched well except for an inning when she got a little frazzled."
Grundy County tried to force a rematch in the top of the seventh inning. The first three batters reached base to load the bases with no outs. Then Yell induced a popout to second and struck out the final two batters of the night.
"We had a chance to make it interesting in the seventh, and I think we scared them," said Grundy County coach Jason Evans, who noted that the Lady Jackets will be playing in the region tournament for the first time since at least 2000. "We're a little frustrated. We'll take it out on our next opponent."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.