Lady Indians Celebrate Most Successful Class by Fending Off Unicoi Rally
The Dobyns-Bennett softball program bid farewell to the most successful senior class in team history on Monday evening.
After all the ceremony and, yes, tears, the Lady Indians ended up having to fend off a lengthy rally by Unicoi County in the seventh inning before securing a 13-10 win at Indian Highland Park.
The honored seniors include Catie Zani, Payton Moore, Sophie Dean, Julianne Tipton, Reagan Hollowell, Claudia Maness, and Hannah Frye. Six of the seniors started; Frye, who signed with Gardner-Webb to play softball back in November, has missed the entire senior campaign due to an injury sustained during the basketball season.
Six of the seven seniors are set to play softball at the next level. In addition to Frye signing with Gardner-Webb, Tipton has inked with Arizona State, Zani is headed to Maryville College, Dean will go to Lincoln Memorial, Maness is bound for Pikeville in Kentucky, and Moore is set to attend Johnson University in Knox County.
This outgoing senior class has reeled off 95 total victories, and counting. The Tribe also advanced to the TSSAA sectionals in 2022, the deepest postseason run in program history. It’s a large and close group, as several of the seniors attested.
“We played with each other for a long time,” said Zani, who went 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and two RBIs. “We've been through it all together. We played since we were little, all together. It's really emotional with us all going our separate ways.”
“I really thought I wasn't gonna cry. But then I saw everyone start crying and it just hit me that this is senior year and I'm almost done,” added Hollowell.
“We’re definitely tight knit,” Tipton said. “This group of seniors has been playing either with each other or against each other for the past 10 years. It's hard not to be close, you know what I mean? You're always together, you're always fighting for each other, you're always on the same team.”
After spotting Unicoi a 2-1 lead early, the Lady Indians (22-9) plated seven consecutive runs, then five more after Unicoi pushed across a pair in the top of the fifth, and seemed on the way to a blowout win with a 13-4 lead in hand. Instead, Unicoi proved to be extremely persistent in preventing that final out. The Lady Devils (10-22) had eight consecutive batters reach base, all with two outs showing in the top of the seventh, to account for the final score. The 10th Unicoi run came home on the final play of the game: an Aaliyah Engle RBI single, but the contest ended when one of the runners on base was thrown out trying to advance to third.
“If they hadn't made a base running blunder we might still be playing. It's just crazy,” Tribe coach Andy Hubbard said.
Unicoi rotated the two Engles – Aaliyah and Kyndal – with Katey Toney in the circle, making four total pitching changes in the game all involving that trio. Dean went the distance for D-B.
Offensively, two of the underclassmen in the Tribe lineup did significant damage. Allie McConlee went 4-for-5 with four runs scored, a double, and a solo home run. Hailey Porter also homered – her 12th of the season – as part of a 2-for-5 day. Tipton also went 2-for-5 but drove in four runs, including a two-run single in the third inning.
Dean also was 2-for-5 with an RBI, while Maness singled and drove in a run. Hollowell, usually a reserve player for the Lady Indians, had a hit and walked with the bases loaded for an RBI.
“I was really excited to play,” Hollowell said. “It was great.”
This is just the start of a busy week for the Tribe. D-B has three league games upcoming – at West Ridge tonight, followed by back-to-back home games this Thursday and Friday against Science Hill.
“It was a good senior night. They're happy. We've just got to play better the rest of the week, you know?” Hubbard said.
There is still more softball to be played but the reflections brought on by senior night had these outgoing Lady Indians wistful.
“These past four years have been hard, emotional and I'm very much ready to take the next step but I'm so sad to leave,” Tipton said.
Unicoi County - Kyndal Engle, Katey Toney (2), Alliyah Engle (4), K. Engle (5), Toney (6) and A. Engle, Kianna Woodward (4), A. Engle (5); Dobyns-Bennett – Sophie Dean and Riley McMillan. W - Dean. L - Toney. 2B - Unicoi 1 (Miley Woodward), D-B 3 (Hailey Porter, Allie McConlee, Julianne Tipton). HR - D-B: McConlee (5th, solo), Porter (6th, solo). RBI - Unicoi County 7 (Kinley Carver, Katlyn Nelson, A. Engle, K. Engle, Toney, Bennett, M. Woodward), Dobyns-Bennett 11 (Tipton 4, Catie Zani 2, Claudia Maness, Reagan Hollowell, Porter, McConlee, Dean). SB - West Ridge 1 (Lily Frazier), Dobyns-Bennett 1 (Moore). HBP - Unicoi County 1 (K. Woodward). SH - Unicoi County 1 (Nelson). SF - Unicoi County 1 (Carver). LOB - Unicoi County 6, Dobyns-Bennett 10.
After all the ceremony and, yes, tears, the Lady Indians ended up having to fend off a lengthy rally by Unicoi County in the seventh inning before securing a 13-10 win at Indian Highland Park.
The honored seniors include Catie Zani, Payton Moore, Sophie Dean, Julianne Tipton, Reagan Hollowell, Claudia Maness, and Hannah Frye. Six of the seniors started; Frye, who signed with Gardner-Webb to play softball back in November, has missed the entire senior campaign due to an injury sustained during the basketball season.
Six of the seven seniors are set to play softball at the next level. In addition to Frye signing with Gardner-Webb, Tipton has inked with Arizona State, Zani is headed to Maryville College, Dean will go to Lincoln Memorial, Maness is bound for Pikeville in Kentucky, and Moore is set to attend Johnson University in Knox County.
This outgoing senior class has reeled off 95 total victories, and counting. The Tribe also advanced to the TSSAA sectionals in 2022, the deepest postseason run in program history. It’s a large and close group, as several of the seniors attested.
“We played with each other for a long time,” said Zani, who went 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and two RBIs. “We've been through it all together. We played since we were little, all together. It's really emotional with us all going our separate ways.”
“I really thought I wasn't gonna cry. But then I saw everyone start crying and it just hit me that this is senior year and I'm almost done,” added Hollowell.
“We’re definitely tight knit,” Tipton said. “This group of seniors has been playing either with each other or against each other for the past 10 years. It's hard not to be close, you know what I mean? You're always together, you're always fighting for each other, you're always on the same team.”
After spotting Unicoi a 2-1 lead early, the Lady Indians (22-9) plated seven consecutive runs, then five more after Unicoi pushed across a pair in the top of the fifth, and seemed on the way to a blowout win with a 13-4 lead in hand. Instead, Unicoi proved to be extremely persistent in preventing that final out. The Lady Devils (10-22) had eight consecutive batters reach base, all with two outs showing in the top of the seventh, to account for the final score. The 10th Unicoi run came home on the final play of the game: an Aaliyah Engle RBI single, but the contest ended when one of the runners on base was thrown out trying to advance to third.
“If they hadn't made a base running blunder we might still be playing. It's just crazy,” Tribe coach Andy Hubbard said.
Unicoi rotated the two Engles – Aaliyah and Kyndal – with Katey Toney in the circle, making four total pitching changes in the game all involving that trio. Dean went the distance for D-B.
Offensively, two of the underclassmen in the Tribe lineup did significant damage. Allie McConlee went 4-for-5 with four runs scored, a double, and a solo home run. Hailey Porter also homered – her 12th of the season – as part of a 2-for-5 day. Tipton also went 2-for-5 but drove in four runs, including a two-run single in the third inning.
Dean also was 2-for-5 with an RBI, while Maness singled and drove in a run. Hollowell, usually a reserve player for the Lady Indians, had a hit and walked with the bases loaded for an RBI.
“I was really excited to play,” Hollowell said. “It was great.”
This is just the start of a busy week for the Tribe. D-B has three league games upcoming – at West Ridge tonight, followed by back-to-back home games this Thursday and Friday against Science Hill.
“It was a good senior night. They're happy. We've just got to play better the rest of the week, you know?” Hubbard said.
There is still more softball to be played but the reflections brought on by senior night had these outgoing Lady Indians wistful.
“These past four years have been hard, emotional and I'm very much ready to take the next step but I'm so sad to leave,” Tipton said.
Unicoi County | 020 | 020 | 6 | -- | 10 | 14 | 5 |
Dobyns-Bennett | 103 | 441 | x | -- | 13 | 16 | 3 |
Unicoi County - Kyndal Engle, Katey Toney (2), Alliyah Engle (4), K. Engle (5), Toney (6) and A. Engle, Kianna Woodward (4), A. Engle (5); Dobyns-Bennett – Sophie Dean and Riley McMillan. W - Dean. L - Toney. 2B - Unicoi 1 (Miley Woodward), D-B 3 (Hailey Porter, Allie McConlee, Julianne Tipton). HR - D-B: McConlee (5th, solo), Porter (6th, solo). RBI - Unicoi County 7 (Kinley Carver, Katlyn Nelson, A. Engle, K. Engle, Toney, Bennett, M. Woodward), Dobyns-Bennett 11 (Tipton 4, Catie Zani 2, Claudia Maness, Reagan Hollowell, Porter, McConlee, Dean). SB - West Ridge 1 (Lily Frazier), Dobyns-Bennett 1 (Moore). HBP - Unicoi County 1 (K. Woodward). SH - Unicoi County 1 (Nelson). SF - Unicoi County 1 (Carver). LOB - Unicoi County 6, Dobyns-Bennett 10.
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