Central’s softball team seems to have things back together. At least that was the case in the District 6-AA tournament final.
On Wednesday, for the second consecutive day the Lady Purple Pounders earned a double-digit victory over Red Bank, the team that dropped them into the losers bracket. Central won 11-1 in five innings after defeating the Lady Lions 10-0 in the first game of the final Tuesday.
“It stunk losing that game,” said Central coach LeeAnne Shurette, whose team had not lost to a district opponent all season until the winners-bracket final. “I literally sat on my porch Monday night and was thinking, ‘I just don’t feel like we should be done.’ I know I have a team capable of doing some good things. Sometimes they just don’t show the heart. To come out and play like they did today, this is what they’re capable of.”
Central (20-16) will host Sequoyah or Polk County in one of Monday’s semifinals in the Region 3 tournament. Sequoyah and Polk play the first game of the District 5 final today at Polk at 5:30. If necessary, a second championship game would be played Friday. Red Bank (16-13) will play at the District 5 champion Monday.
The Lady Pounders got started early Wednesday, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Alexis Grampp’s RBI single was misplayed in the outfield, allowing her to get to third base. She scored on Reagan Benedict’s groundout.
Grampp homered in her next at-bat, leading off the third, and contributed a two-run homer during a six-run fourth.
Winning pitcher Brooke Parrott didn’t have the same stuff Wednesday as she had Monday when she was the losing pitcher. That day she had a no-hitter through seven innings and totaled 14 strikeouts but got the pitching loss in a 1-0 decision in eight innings.
In the deciding game Parrott allowed eight hits and had three strikeouts, although she didn’t give up a walk. The Lady Lions’ run was in the fifth when Sami Shrader doubled with two outs and scored on Kendall Farr’s single.
“She wanted it,” Shurette said of Parrott. “Even if they had had more hits, I don’t think I could’ve taken the ball away from her. This was her game. I’m so proud of the team. We had to make plays behind her.”
Kerri Sylvester joined Grampp in going 3-for-3 for Central. She scored two runs, as did Lexie Ainslie, who was 2-for-3. Leadoff batter Samantha Scott also scored twice.
Cheyenne Slaughter doubled in two runs for the Lady Pounders in the third, and Tatum Morgan hit a run-scoring single in the fourth-inning rally that included three of the Lady Lions’ five errors.
“We hit the ball but we self-destructed defensively,” Red Bank coach Mandi Munn said. “Get one thing going and another falls off.”
Munn did some juggling with her lineup Wednesday. Kelsey Peden got the start in center field and went 2-for-2 and threw a runner out at third. Dani Usher had played first base only in the tournament but got the chance to bat and also chipped in with a hit. Shelby Romans also had two hits for Red Bank.
Munn decided to rest main pitcher Hannah Wood, who is dealing with some back problems.
“We need to get some people healed,” Munn said. “It wasn’t a necessity game. It also provided the opportunity for some people to prove themselves.
“Athletically we have the skill and talent. It’s the maturing and growing that we have to work on. That’s a hard thing to coach.”
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him at twitter.com/KelleySmiddie.