Scott, Lady Patriots Hold Off Grainger For First Region Title
by STEVE WILMOTH
TriCitiesSports.com
May 15, 2019
RUTLEDGE, Tenn. -- Sullivan East athletics history was made Wednesday night.
Buoyed by the two-hit pitching of Hannah Scott, the Lady Patriots built a 4-1 lead and held off a seventh-inning Grainger rally for a 4-3 victory to claim the school’s first-ever regional softball title.
The win also means East (28-15) will host a Class AA sectional contest Friday night against Alcoa for a chance to advance to its first-ever state tournament.
Scott’s confounding change of speeds and dazzling knucklers didn’t produce a single strikeout on the night, but Grainger managed only a one out single in the bottom of the first and a two-run homer in the seventh.
East meanwhile produced all four of its runs after two were out in the second, third and sixth innings.
Grainger did score with the aid of East’s only error on the night in the first to take a 1-0 lead, but Lady Patriots drew even in their next turn courtesy of back-to-back two-out doubles by Emma Timbs and Cassie Littleford.
East forgd a two-run lead an inning later. Jillian Shackelford and Chelsea Sams stroked back-to-back two-out singles with both coming around on a Kylee Wolfe two-bagger.
With two outs in the sixth, it was Timbs and Littleford going back-to-back again, this time with a single and a double to give the Lady Pats their 4-1 lead.
Scott shook out a lead-off walk in the sixth to retire three straight and after hitting the first batter in the bottom of the seventh and serving up the one-out longball to Emily Agee, Scott got groundouts No. 11 and No 12 to clinch the history-making final two outs.
East outhit the Grizzlies, 9-2. Jillian Shackelford joined Timbs and Shackelford in the two-hit parade while Wolfe and Shackelford plated two runs apiece. Timbs also scored a pair of runs.
Scott walked four in the 83-pitch complete game.
Sullivan East | 012 | 001 | 0 | -- | 4 | 9 | 1 |
Grainger | 100 | 000 | 2 | -- | 3 | 2 | 0 |
W - Hannah Scott, L - Emily Agee. 2B - Sullivan East 4 (Cassie Littleford 2, Jillian Shackelford, Kylee Wolfe). HR - Emily Agee, Grainger (one on in 7th). RBI - Sullivan East 4 (Kylee Wolfe 2, Cassie Littleford 2), Grainger 3 (Emily Agee 2, Tyrah White). LOB - Sullivan East 6, Grainger 6.