JASPER, Tenn. — Coming into Thursday’s home game, Marion County’s Lady Warriors hadn’t lost to a District 6-A high school softball opponent since South Pittsburg beat them in their season-opener. After Thursday’s game, the Lady Warriors had avenged that defeat and clinched at least a tie for the district regular-season championship.
Heather Richards, who took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, benefited from an unearned run in the third inning and Marion County edged the Lady Pirates 1-0.
Richards walked counterpart Carmen Wooden at the start of the game, then did not allow another baserunner until Megan Downs reached on an error with two out in the fifth. Richards’ only other walk was issued to Carrie Hill afterward, but she worked out of the situation by inducing a flyout.
Paige Case broke up the no-hitter when she singled to right field with one out in the sixth. She ended up being the only other Lady Pirate to reach scoring position.
Richards finished with nine strikeouts. The other hit she gave up was Downs’ two-out single in the seventh.
“Heather did a fantastic job today,” Marion County coach Thomas Long said. “Her riseball was working well. She stayed in control.”
Kacie McClendon, who had two of the four hits Wooden surrendered, singled before moving around to third on back-to-back groundouts in the third. A misplayed line drive in the infield allowed McClendon to score.
The error was one of four by the Lady Pirates.
“Usually our defense is a strong point,” South Pittsburg coach Leigh Lawrence said. “We did recover.”
The Lady Pirates did throw runners out at third and second. Wooden, who didn’t issue a walk but hit a batter, left two stranded at third.
“We have left a lot of runners on base this year,” Long said. “That eventually will bite you if you don’t work those runners in.”
Marion County (25-12, 9-1) has two district games remaining against Whitwell and can clinch the top seeding for the district tournament by winning one. South Pittsburg (11-5, 7-3) was top-seeded in last year’s tournament, but that didn’t work out so well.
“Last year we went into the tournament in first place and couldn’t have asked to have been hitting the ball any better,” Lawrence said. “Then we played 14 innings without a run and got beat. They remember those losses, all the pressure of being No. 1, everybody telling you how good you are. They still harbor those feelings.
“I’ve got confidence our girls will be all right. Hopefully we’re getting everything out of our system now in the regular season.”