JASPER, Tenn. — Lexie Hall could not contain her excitement as the third-year starting catcher for Sequatchie County’s softball team watched her towering three-run home run sail over the left field fence to ignite Wednesday’s road comeback against District 5-2A rival Marion County.
After trailing 6-1 after Emma McCallie’s two-run single in the bottom of the fourth, the Lady Indians fought back to claim the upper hand as they scored six runs over the fifth and sixth innings while junior reliever Lyla Houk put up zeros over the last three innings in the 7-6 victory.
“The joy is that our team came together and pulled through,” Hall said. “We stayed up the entire time. I always try to keep our team positive and make sure everybody is up and we are all cheering and never down. Lyla was calm out there. Every time I walked out there, I told her to just take one pitch at a time and slow down. She did great and picked up our team.”
Hall joined freshman Emmy Edgmon with three hits in the victory, including a homer in a four-run fifth inning that helped fuel the rally.
Sequatchie County vs. Marion County softball on April 8, 2026
“I am so excited,” Hall added. “That is my favorite home run of my career because it came against our rivals. There was so much joy going through me when I hit it because I knew it was gone and it was what we needed to get back in this game.”
(READ MORE: Sequatchie County senior Addy Edgmon does it all in win over Signal Mountain)
Sequatchie County (14-6, 3-0 district) took the lead for good in the sixth when freshman Hannah Milligan drove in her third and fourth runs of the day on a two-run single.
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Marion County (23-6, 1-1) entered the contest coming off a stellar weekend with a title at the Ooltewah Invitational with a 10-9 win over Maryville in the championship game. The Lady Warriors went 6-1 in the tournament, which also included wins over Anderson County, Hixson, Oak Ridge, Ooltewah and Knoxville Grace.
McCallie swung a hot bat in the defeat as Marion’s cleanup hitter drove in four runs, which included an RBI double in the third. The Lady Warriors also collected a pair of hits from Albany Harris and sisters Brylee and Brynna Thomasson.
However, Hall’s big swing provided all the momentum needed for the Lady Indians to fight back to victory.
“Lexie has done a great job of being level-headed and being a rock behind the plate for our team,” Sequatchie County head coach Kelly Somerville said. “The girls kind of look to her mentally to be the leader. It takes a lot to go from calling the pitches and being defensively in the game to turning around and attacking the ball in the box. She has always handled pressure very well. She has been starting for us behind the plate three years, and it shows.
“We will sit on this win tonight and feel good about it. But we will have to fight for our lives again next week when we play them and in the postseason as well. We were happy to be on the winning side tonight.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.