DECATUR, Tenn. — Mired down in a pitcher’s dual for the region championship, both the Central and Meigs County softball teams knew it was going to take a big hit at the right time to clinch the win.
The Lady Pounders’ Brook Womack provided that.
The freshman second baseman pounded a triple to right-center field in the top of the 10th inning, scoring Ciera Belcher from second base and giving ace Shelby Willard all the breathing room she needed to preserve a 2-1 victory for the Region 3-AA championship.
“I knew I had to get a hit because we needed to score,” Womack said. “We really wanted to win, and were finally able to execute and get the win.”
Willard allowed the potent Meigs offense only four hits and finished with a career-high 19 strikeouts, seemingly ending every serious Lady Tiger threat with a “K.” She out-dueled Brooke Melhorn, who allowed only six hits and had three strikeouts.
“She was just clutch all the time,” Central coach Leeann Shurette said. “We were making plays defensively behind her, but it was like she took things on her shoulders and got the outs herself when we needed them.”
Hannah Powell had given the Lady Pounders (26-10) a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth with a double that scooted under the glove of centerfielder Lindsey Arndts, scoring Sara Walker. Meigs came back in the bottom of the fifth and tied the game when Ashley Shaver had the first of her two doubles, bringing in Arndts.
The defenses came up big in the later innings. Jill Davis turned a double play on a bunt attempt, catching Dewana Posely in between bases and running from first base to tag out Posely. Willard helped her own cause, catching a bunt attempt in the air and firing to first to double up Arndts.
Shaver then hit a double off the wall in the bottom of the seventh and advanced to third on a wild pitch with two outs, but Willard came back to strike out Courtney Combs after a lengthy at-bat to end the threat.
International tie-breaker rules put Belcher on second to start the top of the 10th, and Womack provided the game-winning hit.
Shaver was hit by a pitch to start the bottom half of the 10th, putting runners on first and second, but Womack stepped up on the defensive end, fielding a Combs grounder and taking out Shaver before throwing to first to complete a 4-3 double play.
Willard struck out Melhorn to end the game. Both teams advance to the sectional round, where Central will host the loser of the Region 4-AA final between Bledsoe County and DeKalb County while the Lady Tigers will travel to the winner.
“It was a well-played game,” Meigs coach Jeff Davis said. “They got the big hit and we never did.
“I would love to play them again next week.”