Hamilton County trio fall in losers-bracket finals

May 23, 2015 at 1:00 a.m. | Updated May 22, 2015 at 10:49 p.m.

by David Uchiyama

Central pitcher Brooke Parrott tries to tag out Lexington runner Brooklyn Hays at home during their AA state softball tournament game against Lexington at the TSSAA Spring Fling in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Thursday, May 21, 2015.
Central pitcher Brooke Parrott tries to tag out Lexington runner Brooklyn Hays at home during their AA state softball tournament game against Lexington at the TSSAA Spring Fling in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Thursday, May 21, 2015.

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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Advancing to a softball state championship game from the losers-bracket final didn't work out for three Hamilton County teams Friday at the StarPlex Complex.

One team was shut out and the other two were toppled with walk-off hits.

Class AAA

* Dickson County 6, Ooltewah 5: Dickson County scored the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning to end the Lady Owls' stay in the Class AAA tournament.

"We're fine with being third in state," Ooltewah coach Jon Massey said. "We'd like to get to the next level next year and finish first or second."

Ooltewah owned a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning until a single and a throwing error allowed the Lady Cougars to tie the game.

"You could tell when they tied it at 3 that the pendulum swung," Massey said. "But we hung in there."

The Lady Owls scored twice in the top of the 11th on a single down the right-field line by Allie Jones. But Dickson County answered with two in the bottom of the inning.

The teams headed to a third inning using the international tiebreaking rule, which puts a runner on second base to start each at-bat. Ooltewah didn't score. Keely Burchman then plated Samantha Mathis for the Lady Cougars.

Dickson County may have won in the eighth inning if not for a diving catch by Bailey Kennedy.

"She made a great catch when we needed to have it," Massey said.

Class AA

* Lexington 3, Central 2: Lexington's Samantha McDaniel drove in two runs with a single to center field in the bottom of the seventh inning, which sent the Lady Purple Pounders packing.

"I can't fault her for going all out because she was inches from making that catch, but she's probably beating herself up right now," Central coach LeeAnne Shurette said of center fielder Lexie Ainslie. "She'd be the hero if she makes the catch."

Samantha Scott and pitcher Brooke Parrott each went 2-for-2 for Central, with both of Parrott's hits being doubles. She struck out five batters.

"Our focus in October workouts was whether it's a championship-level effort," Shurette said. "I hope this will motivate them. Once you taste this, and once you've been to state, it's a feeling they want again."

Class A

* Grace Christian 4, Sale Creek 0: Clifford Kirk isn't going to add to his jewelry collection.

But the Sale Creek coach, with 10 state titles directing Hixson and Soddy-Daisy, had his Lady Panthers laughing just a few minutes after their season ended with the loss to the Knoxville school.

"The girls missed out on a trophy by one game," Kirk said before holding a wrapup session with his players, their parents and team supporters. "We played good teams and this is a good team. The talent isn't down, but experience is."

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.

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