TSSAA Spring Fling 2019: Siegel softball gets second runner-up finish in four years

It was a hard thing to understand or explain for the Siegel softball team.

Three games against Jefferson County in two days. The Lady Stars scored 10 runs in one of the games while being shut out in the other two.

Unfortunately for Siegel  (43-9), one of the shutouts came in the "if necessary" second state title game Friday night at Starplex, a 3-0 setback in the Class AAA championship.

"Softball is up and down," said Siegel senior and Tennessee signee Caitlyn McCrary. "The first game (Friday, a 10-1 win to force a second title game) I thought we were seeing the ball better. (Jefferson County pitcher Catelyn Riley) was missing her spots more than usual. We made her pay.

"She obviously came back and knew she had to pitch her best game against us."

McCrary had a huge tournament, batting over .400 and belting four homers — two off of Riley in Friday's 10-1 win.

However, she and her teammates mustered no runs on 10 hits combined in the other two games against Riley and the Lady Patriots, including a 1-0 loss Thursday evening, which forced Siegel to play Halls on Friday morning.

"It's hard," said Siegel coach Shawn Middleton of three games in one day after playing just three in the previous three days. "You play at 9, then turn your body off, then have to come back at 3 and then again at 6:30. It's hard on kids' bodies. But that's our fault for losing (Thursday's) game."

There was a break of more than an hour and a half between championship games. It seemed to dash Siegel's momentum from the first game as Jefferson County (26-12) scored two runs in the top of the first in the finale.

"It was super beneficial to us," Riley said. "We got to relax and chill. My jersey went for a ride to get dry again. It was soaking wet."

Added McCrary, "I would have rather it been back-to-back, but that's not how it works."

Siegel junior pitcher Sophie Golliver allowed just six runs in five state tournament games.

Siegel defeated Halls 2-1 Friday.

The Lady Stars graduate six seniors, including three (McCrary, Presley Leebrick, Vanessa Westfall) who were starters on the 2016 state-runner up team that went 49-8. The team was 32-3 last season.

During their four years, the Siegel seniors class (including Hannah Milhorn, Katie Curran and and Madison Levi) went 141-42.

"They've been my best friends ... I've played with them since I was 9," said McCrary. "We had a good chemistry as a team."

Added Middleton, "There's no doubt these seniors built success. You have to create a culture of winning, and those six have definitely done that for Siegel High School."

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.