Lady Owls back in softball state tournament after 7-2 win

Ooltewah coach Jon Massey talks to his softball team after Saturday's Class AAA state-sectional victory over Lincoln County.
Ooltewah coach Jon Massey talks to his softball team after Saturday's Class AAA state-sectional victory over Lincoln County.
photo Pitcher Kayla Boseman fired a one-hitter Saturday and led Ooltewah to a 7-2 victory over Lincoln County in a Class AAA softball state sectional. The Lady Owls now advance to the state tournament next week in Murfreesboro.

Judging by Saturday's celebration - or lack thereof - just getting to the TSSAA Class AAA softball state tournament isn't the goal this year for Ooltewah.

The Lady Owls took care of business at home Saturday, just as they have done throughout the playoffs thus far, and now they're perfect in their seven postseason games after beating Lincoln County 7-2 in a state sectional.

Fellow District 5 member Walker Valley will be joining Ooltewah (36-6) at the state tournament after rallying late to beat Coffee County 8-5 in a late game Friday in Manchester.

This marks the third state-tournament berth for the Lady Owls' current senior class.

"They seem to be loose," Ooltewah coach Jon Massey said. "When your seniors don't say a whole lot, you might think things could get a little hairy. But they've taken care of things well and stayed within the confines of what we do."

One member of that senior class is Kayla Boseman, who threw a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts and went 3-f0r-3, contributing an RBI triple in a four-run second inning.

"She's ready to go," Massey said of Boseman, whose double in the sixth would've been a home run had it not been brought back into the park off the glove of center fielder McKenzie Swinford.

The hit Boseman allowed was a pop fly off Shelby Bryant's bat that fell in shallow right field leading off the fifth. Both seventh-inning runs off Boseman, who did not allow a walk in the game but hit one batter, were unearned.

"I wouldn't call it expectations," Boseman said of the Lady Owls' calm demeanor after winning. "We just needed to come ready to play. This team beat (District 7 champion) Siegel (in a Region 4 elimination semifinal), so we weren't going to take them lightly."

Mabry Carpenter also went 3-for-3 for Ooltewah, and she scored a run. Ally Chernak was 2-for-4 with an RBI and she scored twice.

Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com.

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