SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. — For a brief moment, the Marion County softball team’s well-traveled fans celebrated in an uproar after Albany Harris slid head-first across home plate just ahead of the tag, scoring on a single by Lilli Nixon during Saturday’s TSSAA Class 2A softball state final.
While the Lady Warriors had a brief taste of success with the first run of the game, the final six innings belonged to the opposition as senior right-hander Annie Prince recorded her 15th and final strikeout to seal the first-ever team state championship for Community as the Viqueens wrapped up a 10-1 victory in the winner-take-all matchup.
The only earned run allowed by Prince during the entire state tournament came in Marion County’s first time up to bat, with the Chattanooga State signee dominating all week with 52 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched at this year’s Spring Fling.
Afterward, amid the understandable disappointment and sadness for Marion County, there were also plenty of smiles and reasons to celebrate for the Lady Warriors, who went 35-12 in their first year under Kevin Thompson, the veteran head coach who steered as they made a quick turnaround following three consecutive losing seasons.
“This state championship run means a lot to all of us. Nobody expected us to make it this far,” said Harris, a junior who starred as their leadoff hitter and shortstop. “This was my first year at Marion County, and I loved it with my family and my friends. I couldn’t have asked for a better season with this team. For us to make it to the first state championship (game) in program history shows that we can do whatever we set our minds to in life. This was a special run.”