MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Not only had Central’s and Meigs County’s players never played in a high school state-tournament softball game before Tuesday, but no one in those program’s uniforms had in several years.
Giving up an unearned run early tends to work on the mindset of teams in that situation. So does squandering an early scoring chance.
The first scenario started Covington toward a 2-0 victory over Central at the McKnight complex, and the second was the case when Westview defeated Meigs County 4-0 at Starplex in Class AA opening-round games.
Meigs (37-8) plays Unicoi County today at 11 a.m. EDT and Central plays Greenbrier afterward at about 1 p.m. Both games are at Starplex No. 2.
Central’s Lady Purple Pounders got the second out in the bottom of the third inning when Covington’s C.J. Browder hit into a force play at second after Autumn Glenn’s infield single. Browder stole second and on the next pitch ended up diving back to the base when Central attempted a pickoff. The throw skipped away after hitting her, resulting in the first of two errors on the play that allowed Browder to score.
The next inning the Lady Chargers loaded the bases with none out on back-to-back singles by Gabby Glenn and Bailey Morgan ahead of a walk to Allie Moss. Central pitcher Shelby Willard retired the next three, but the first was Jamie Hollingsworth with a sacrifice fly.
The Lady Pounders managed four baserunners against winning pitcher Sarah Cousar, whose three-hitter included six strikeouts and no walks. Jade Stoker reached on an error in the fifth and was the only runner to get as far as third base.
“I asked them to hit the first pitch,” Central coach LeeAnne Shurette said. “She was getting a strike, then she’d throw that little dropball or a riseball. We needed to attack the first pitch.”
Meigs coach Jeff Davis said that when his team loaded the bases with one out in the first inning and failed to score, he sensed “it took a little air out of us.”
Down 2-0, two Lady Tigers were aboard in the top of the fifth when Katelyn Bowen stretched out for a catch that killed the uprising. One of the runners was Kirstie Jennings, who had three of the four hits allowed by winning pitcher Shaylon Robb. She struck out six, walked two and hit one batter.
“You’ve just got to hit it,” Davis said. “We didn’t. Of course, they had a good pitcher. Their center fielder made a diving catch in the fifth or we would’ve tied the game. She laid out and caught it.”