Kayla Boseman may have seemed invincible during Wednesday's Region 3-AAA softball championship game, but there was one opponent she couldn't conquer.
The talented Ooltewah sophomore, who had just pitched a one-hit shutout while adding three RBIs with three hits, including a home run, in a 4-0 win over longtime rival Soddy-Daisy, was not happy with Mother Nature.
"Allergies are killing me," Boseman said with a smile between sneezes. "It feels good, though, to win our second region championship in a row. Last year during districts we lost and we did it again this year, but we seem to play better afterward in the regions for some reason. I guess it's a trend."
The Lady Owls (41-5) will host a sectional game Friday at 6 p.m. against the Stewart's Creek/Siegel loser, weather permitting, while the Lady Trojans (28-11) will travel to the winner of that midstate game.
Ooltewah, winning for the fifth time in six meetings this year with Soddy-Daisy, broke through in the third inning against the Lady Trojans' rotation of pitchers Jordan Woodward and Shauna Penney. Tiera Lemon and Shelby Sutton led off the inning with singles and Boseman followed with an RBI single. A second run scored on a botched rundown.
The lead grew to 4-0 in the fifth when Sutton singled with one out and Boseman lined a 3-2 pitch deep over the center-field fence against a stiff wind.
"They tried to throw us off a bit by changing pitchers, but on a 3-2 pitch I have to just see the pitch and hit it," said Boseman, who had two hits off Woodward, including the homer. "Now, I wasn't expecting it down the middle, but when I saw it I just hit it where it was pitched."
The insurance runs weren't needed, though, as Boseman dominated from start to finish, mixing an assortment of screwballs and riseballs to confound the Soddy-Daisy batters. She had a no-hitter going until Megan Beasley's one-out single in the seventh and finished the game with five strikeouts. She allowed only one batter to reach second base.
The Lady Owls' defense was stellar, including a pair of elite plays by shortstop Lemon.
"Kayla pitched well," Ooltewah coach Jon Massey said. "The credit goes to her for throwing well, but our coaches did a great job as always calling pitches. Tiara played really well at shortstop. We know they are going to put the ball in play, and I'm proud of our defense. Our outfielders didn't have to make a lot of plays, and that's a credit to Kayla.
"It was a typical Ooltewah/Soddy game. Wherever they go Friday I expect them to win, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit if we met in Murfreesboro (in the state tournament). That would be awesome."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22