By Paul Henry, Staff Writer
Lincoln County High School’s Lady Falcon softball team’s season came to an end Saturday night.
The ladies went down to Coffee County, 6-0. It’s the third consecutive year the Lady Falcons have come up one game short of going to the state tournament.
The ladies finished with an impressive 42-8-1 overall record, the best in school history. LCHS swept the district action at 13-0.
Lincoln County claimed the Region 4 championship, defeating Riverdale, 7-2. The ladies advanced to that match up with a 4-0 win over Smyrna.
Saturday the community turned out, packing the house to cheer on the Lady Falcons. But, the Lady Raiders brought their “A” game. The Lady Falcons had probably their most off night of the season.
Coffee scored 3 in the first inning and 3 in the seventh with just six hits for the night. In both at bats, errors kept the Lady Raiders alive. LCHS finished with 5 miscues, 2 in the first and 3 in the seventh.
“We just didn’t bring our best game and Coffee County did,” said Coach Troy Smith. “Plays we would typically make just didn’t come together. Coffee has a good team, and you’re not going to beat them with five errors.
“Of course, we’re disappointed,” Coach Smith added. “We had the opportunity to go to the state for the third year and came up short. That has to hurt. But, I’m proud of the work the girls put in and the season we had.
“The players, coaches and parents appreciate the show of support from the community,” added Smith. “We had a great crowd tonight. It’s good to see that much excitement about Lady Falcon softball.”
The ladies finished with five hits against the Lady Red Raiders. Taylor Ferguson had 2 singles. Baylee Hammons, Kristen Hancock and Miller Baggett had singles.
On the mound, Tanner Sanders had 3 strikeouts, 2 walks, 1 hit batter and gave up 6 hits.
The ladies advanced to the sectionals winning on the road Wednesday night defeating Riverdale, 7-2. The victory gave LCHS the Region 4 championship.
“Against Riverdale, it was a different kind of game for us,” Coach Smith said. “We’d gone through the season with our defense as our strength. Wednesday, we were solid, but our bats carried us through the game.”
LCHS generated 12 hits against the Lady Warriors. Though the ladies had three doubles in the game, it was hits the Lady Falcons call “Judies”, those short hits that drop in no man’s land behind the infield but short of the outfield, that put runs on the board.
The Lady Falcons scored one in the first, one in the third, two in the sixth and three in the seventh. The two runs for the Lady Warriors came in the third.
In the top of the first, Tanner Sanders led off with a walk. Lauren Hunter followed with a single. Jordan Griner got a walk, and the bases were loaded with one out. Holley Gray sent an RBI sac fly to the outfield, and the ladies were up, 1-0.
Sanders led off in the third with a single. Taylor Ferguson ripped a double, scoring designated runner Lauren Reese, and the ladies were up, 2-0. Riverdale answered in the bottom of the third and knotted it at 2-2 but left the bases loaded.
In the sixth, Gray doubled. Baylee Hammons singled, scoring Gray. Kristen Hancock followed with a single, scoring Hammons, and LCHS was up, 4-2.
The ladies added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Sanders led off with a single. Hunter and Ferguson followed with hits. Jordan Griner singled, scoring two runs. Hancock singled, scoring the final run of the game.
Riverdale left two base runners stranded in the bottom of the inning, and the Lady Falcons had the win, 7-2.
Sanders finished with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk, giving up 8 hits.
Hunter led with the bat with 2 singles and a double. Ferguson had a single and double; Sanders and Hancock, 2 singles; Gray, double; Griner and Hammons, singles.
Monday night’s 4-0 win at home over Smyrna took the ladies to the region championship.
Tanner Sanders had a good night on the mound, recording 13 strikeouts, giving up 3 hits and no walks.
With the bat, Taylor Ferguson led with 2 singles and a double. Sanders had a single and triple. Lauren Hunter had a double, and Baylee Hammons had a single.
Runs for the Lady Falcons came one in the first and three in the sixth.
In the bottom half of the first, Sanders led off with a walk. Ferguson doubled, scoring designated runner Lauren Reese, and LCHS was up, 1-0.
In the sixth, Sanders led off with a triple. Hunter followed with a double, scoring one. Hunter took third on a passed ball. Ferguson added a single, scoring Hunter. Jordan Griner advanced the runner on a sacrifice bunt. Hammons followed with a single. Ferguson scored on a passed ball, and the Lady Falcons were up 4-0.
The Lady Bulldogs got a runner on base in the top of the seventh, but a groundout, strikeout and caught fly ball finished the game.
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