RINGGOLD, Ga. – In an early portion of the softball season that’s had very little go wrong for his team, Heritage first-year coach Jason Carter had to wonder what would happen when adversity hit.
He’ll get the chance to find out after visiting Gilmer County pushed across a run in the eighth inning Thursday to hand the Generals their first loss, 4-3, and in doing so made it be known that Region 7-AAAA will not be won without a fight.
“We just didn’t execute tonight,” Carter said. “I called for a squeeze bunt in the first and one in the eighth, and we didn’t execute either one. In a one-run loss those two runs would give us a win. Hopefully we’ll learn from this and it will help us next time we’re in those situations.”
Gilmer freshman pitcher Savannah Chalfant gave the Generals (12-1, 5-1) fits all night, finishing with 13 strikeouts using a combination of riseball and hard curveball. However, Heritage had a chance to take a quick lead after Olivia Tamewitz led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple. But after the squeeze bunt attempt failed, Chalfant struck out the next three batters to set the early tone.
Heritage’s Olivia Tamewitz scores after stealing several bases Thursday, but Gilmer County won 4-3, in the bottom of the eighth inning in Ringgold.“This region is always tough,” Carter said. “We knew they would bring a pitcher who was going to challenge us, and she did.”
The Lady Bobcats (10-3, 6-1) took a 3-0 lead in the third inning against Heritage starting pitcher Taelyn Bates. A walk and a single preceded Sara Mosley’s two-run triple, and she later scored on Karli Loudermilk’s RBI double.
Heritage got one back in the bottom half when the lightning-fast Tamewitz singled, stole two bases and scored on the catcher’s throwing error. The Generals finally started timing Chalfant in the sixth and Raleigh Lewis made her pay with a two-run homer to left – one that cleared the fieldhouse building beyond left field – that tied the game.
“Raleigh’s homer may be the longest ball I’ve ever seen hit – easily the longest one that’s been hit here,” Carter said. “That was a big hit, but we just couldn’t push across another one.”
Heritage had runners on third and second with two out in the seventh, but Chalfant struck out Sydney Smith to end the threat. After Madison Carver’s single to right field pushed across the go-ahead run in the eighth under international tiebreaker rules, Chalfant had one more test to pass.
Heritage had the tying run on third with one out when two consecutive squeeze attempts were fouled off before a third was popped up for out two. After Krissy Prewitt earned a walk and pinch-runner Cassie Davis stole second, Chalfant struck out Shelby Hammontree on an eight-pitch at-bat to end the game.
Mosley had two of Gilmer’s seven hits, while Tamewitz had three of Heritage’s five.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow at Twitter@youngsports22