MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Although Grace Academy managed to get past a tough first opponent in Trinity Christian in eight innings in the first round of the Class A high school softball state tournament, the Lady Golden Eagles might’ve won it in regulation had someone driven in Kaitlin Eldridge after she hit a leadoff triple.
Jessie Parker owned up to it, in more ways than one.
After failing to advance Eldridge, who had led off the eighth inning Wednesday with a double, Parker followed with a double and her RBI was the tie-breaking run in the Lady Golden Eagles’ 5-3 victory.
Grace (32-6) will play South Fulton today at approximately 8 p.m. EDT in the winners-bracket final.
Parker tried to sacrifice Eldridge to third but twice was unable to get a bunt down. Her strategy then became to try to hit the ball to the right side, but that didn’t work either.
Instead she turned on an offering and sent it near the same spot in left-center that Eldridge’s hit had gone.
“That was me. I stranded her,” said Parker, who bats behind Eldridge in the order, of her shortcoming Tuesday. “Two nights in a row she gets a big hit late in the game leading off an inning. I knew I had to get her in this time.”
Eldridge bats fourth in the lineup but made for a good leadoff batter late in consecutive games.
“She’s a bulldog,” Grace coach Tina Walker said. “She’s not going to let down. All we tried to do next was get her to third, but that didn’t work. Then Jessie reached out and hit it to left field. That’s OK. I didn’t care where it went. That was a good hit.”
As insurance, Reagan Schrader followed Parker with a hit to left-center. Her single made it the final score.
Winning pitcher Lacye Walker allowed five hits and one walk while striking out eight. She also hit a home run leading off the game and started a three-run inning.
East Robertson tied it in the fourth. Chandler Groves tripled in two runs and scored the other.