Meigs County and The King’s Academy were declared co-champions Saturday in the Gold division of the Ooltewah Invitational high school softball tournament at the Summit of Softball complex.
After the Lady Tigers won their semifinal 2-0 over Page and the Lady Lions won 6-0 over Lebanon in theirs, Meigs County assistant coach Tim Jennings and King’s Academy head coach Marc Weekly agreed to forgo playing the final.
The Lady Lions were satisfied with the result because they had an approximate two-hour ride back to Seymour in the Knoxville area and it was close to 7 p.m. when the decision was made. Jennings, who was guiding the Lady Tigers in the tournament because head coach Jeff Davis was back home dealing with strep throat, said he was relieved by the decision because their pitching situation had gotten thin.
After playing two games Friday night, the Lady Tigers came back Saturday morning and beat Columbia Academy 5-1 to go 3-0 in pool play. They got to the Gold semifinal by defeating Scottsboro, Ala., 3-0 and by beating Knoxville Halls 11-2.
“It was mutual,” Jennings said of the agreement with Weekly. “It had already been a long weekend. And we’ve got two district games next week.”
Meigs’ ace Ashley Rogers had just pitched the semifinal game while also providing her own offense by homering with one on in the first inning. Jennings wasn’t anxious to see her have to pitch another game right afterward.
“It’s the 11 games in May that matter,” said Jennings, referring to postseason play.
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.