Shaliyah GeathersIt certainly wasn’t easy, but good things rarely come easily, and now the East Hamilton softball team has made history and has the chance to do even more next week.
The Lady Hurricanes rallied for an 8-7 win over Sequatchie County in a Class AA state sectional Friday night at East Hamilton to earn the program its first state-tournament berth.
“This is awesome; this is what we worked for all year,” East Hamilton first baseman Amber Phillips said. “Now we’ve got all the marbles, and now we’re just going to have to go after [a state championship].”
Phillips’ three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning highlighted a back-and-forth battle in which the teams combined for 23 hits and seven errors.
The Lady Indians got things started in the top of the first inning, scoring two runs on four hits, but they also suffered a tough blow when cleanup hitter Katelynne Cheatham injured her neck sliding headfirst into second base. That forced her out of the lineup and into an ambulance with head and neck pain.