Jefferson County Nips Boone, Ends Lady ‘Blazer Season
by STEVE WILMOTH
TriCitiesSports.com
May 14, 2019
GRAY, Tenn. -- Sometimes, you just don’t have the cards.
Riding the four-hit pitching of Catelyn Riley and with a flashy defense in support, Jefferson County held off Daniel Boone in a Region 1-AAA softball semifinal Tuesday evening.
The win sends the Lady Patriots (20-10) to the regional title games where they’ll face league rival Morristown East for a sixth time this season. The Lady ‘Canes have won four of the five previous meetings including last week’s District 2-AAA championship game.
Riley, a 5-10 sophomore and the daughter of former Tennessee Vol and current Jefferson County head football coach Spencer Riley, struck out six and walked four while allowing four hits.
“She (Riley) came out and gave us what we needed,” Jefferson County coach Hillary Love said. “And our defense was solid, spectacular at times, behind her.”
Jefferson County scratched out single runs in the first, second and fifth innings. All-state shortstop and Lipscomb commit Makayla Alvey was at the forefront.
Alvey was part of three straight singles to open the game, although Boone starter Megan Ackerman eventually limited the damage to a single run.
In the fifth, Alvey was hit by a pitch, stole second on the next pitch, moved to third on a groundout to third and scored what became the winning run on another grounder to third.
“They were the aggressive team,” said Boone coach Jeremy Jenkins. “We knew it all started with two hole hitter (Alvey). She gets on base, there’s a good chance they are going to score. She’s a difference-maker for them.”
Riley worked around a pair of walks in the second and third, starting double plays in both to face the minimum through three.
Jaycie Jenkins provided Boone’s first hit, a line drive double that nearly knocked down the fence in centerfield. Jenkins moved to third on a grounder to second and scored on a subsequent errant throw.
The inning could have drawn the ‘Blazers even if not for a remarkable catch of a Brylee Mesusan liner in left-center by Jessica Odom.
Boone got back within a run a second time in the fifth. Makenna Dance walked with one out, moved to second on a Greyson Stevens single that a diving Odom was unable to handle. Odom was charged with a very tough error on the attempt allowing Dance to score from first and put tying run on third.
The Lady ‘Blazers appeared to have tied the score on Dannah Persinger’s squeeze bunt, but the ball was ruled to have hit Persinger in foul territory for a foul ball.
Riley eventually got the strikeout and another Mesusan liner went right to left-fielder Erica Lewanski for the final out.
Boone also put two on to start the sixth on singles by Jenkins and Ackerman. An attempted sacrifice bunt was popped out and Riley got a soft liner to first and a strikeout with the tying run at third and go-ahead run at second for the final out.
“We didn’t execute as well at times when we needed to,” noted Jenkins. “The squeeze play we had a great chance. We didn’t execute a sacrifice. We had our chances and just couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it. It’s just one of those things. It wasn’t in the cards.”
Boone got a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh, but again, a Mesusan liner was hauled in by a leaping Odom in center for the final out.
“We hit the ball on the nose all day long. Brylee hit the ball on the nose three times and had nothing to show for it,” lamented Jenkins. “Hit the ball on the nose, just right at them.”
Jenkins finished with half of Boone’s four hits, going 2-for-3. Santana Hall went 2-for-3, for Jeff County, registering half of the Lady Patriots’ four hits of Ackerman.
The loss ends the season for the Lady ‘Blazers at 44-7.
“44 wins it all comes down to this game,” Jenkins said. “I’m proud of my bunch. We didn’t give it to them, they just beat us. We played hard and we have some good players coming back and some good players coming in.”
Boone loses three seniors - Ackerman, Bug Hubbard and Makenzie Gibson.
“We’ll come back,” added Jenkins. ‘We’ve been in this game two of the past three years and we expect to be in this game every year.”
Jefferson County | 110 | 010 | 0 | -- | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Daniel Boone | 000 | 110 | 0 | -- | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Jefferson County - Catelyn Riley and Bailee Reish. Daniel Boone - Megan Ackerman and Bug Hubbard. W - Catelyn Riley, L - Megan Ackerman. 2B - Jaycie Jenkins, Daniel Boone. RBI =- Erica Lewanksi, Jefferson County; Catelyn Riley, Jefferson County. SAC - Jessica Odom, Jefferson County. SB - Makayla Alvey, jefferson County; Riley Brinn, Daniel Boone. DP - Jefferson County 2. LOB - Jefferson County 5, Daniel Boone 5.