The Chattanooga Christian School softball team’s senior night was for just one player this year, and after an emotional pregame ceremony, catcher Emily Matthews added to her personal celebration Thursday by delivering the biggest hit of the evening.
Stepping to the plate after back-to-back singles by sophomores Neely Fillman and Hannah Smith, the University of North Alabama signee pulled her hands inside a fastball that she lifted over the left-field fence for a three-run homer to make it 4-0 in the second inning.
The big swing by Matthews — it was her third home run of the season — would prove to be vital as CCS built its big lead early, then held off GPS for a 5-3 win in TSSAA Division II-AA East Region competition.
“Every day we take batting practice, Emily is hitting home runs out to the pavilion that is nearly 300 feet from home plate,” Chargers coach Steven Rogers said. “I couldn’t draw up a better senior night for our leader. She is our quarterback on the field and did a great job running practices this offseason. She has all the girls together. I can’t be more proud of her.”
With her No. 12 painted behind home plate, Matthews worked well in tandem with Smith, who started in the pitching circle and worked through trouble in the fourth and fifth before blanking the Bruisers in their final two innings. That included navigating the most dangerous part of the lineup as GPS sent its 1-2-3 hitters to the plate in the final frame.