Ringgold’s Kiana Dale leaps onto home plate after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning to give Ringgold’s softball team a 4-3 lead at Calhoun on Wednesday. Ringgold had to rally again in the seventh inning to beat the Lady Yellow Jackets 6-5 and take control of the top spot in the Region 6-AAA standings.CALHOUN, Ga. – It seems the Ringgold Lady Tigers learn something about themselves after every softball game. The lesson they learned Wednesday after a scintillating 6-5 win over top-ranked Calhoun just reaffirmed what everyone else already knew.
They are, again, a Class AAA state title contender – even when backups have to assume key roles and stars take a backseat.
Ringgold pitcher Abby McKinney, who had the night off from the circle to rest her arm, nevertheless found a way to make a difference with a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning to break a 5-5 tie. Fellow senior Shae Jones, who transferred from Tennessee’s Giles County, pitched her most important action yet for Ringgold, relieving starter Katie Cain and earning the win with five innings of two-hit, three-run work.
“It’s intense every single time we play them,” said McKinney, who was 2-for-4 in her designated player role. “It’s never going to be an easy challenge with them. With my arm needing a rest, I felt like it was a good decision to let Shae pitch. I’m so proud of her.”
The win, Ringgold’s second of the season over Calhoun, gives the Lady Tigers (20-3, 12-1 Region 6-AAA) the top spot in the region standings with two games to play. Calhoun (21-2, 11-2) needs just one win or Sonoraville loss to secure second place. The top two seeds earn a bye into the region tournament’s semifinal round and will need only one win to clinch a state berth.