Maddie Diamond (12), Chloe Conner (7) and other teammates celebrate with Reagan Carroll after she delivered a RBI double in the seventh inning of Monday's game against Dobyns-Bennett.
The Dobyns-Bennett girls celebrate Sophie Dean’s game-tying home run in the seventh inning against Science Hill.
JEFF BIRCHFIELD / SIX RIVERS MEDIA
The Dobyns-Bennett girls celebrate Sophie Dean’s game-tying home run in the seventh inning against Science Hill.
JEFF BIRCHFIELD / SIX RIVERS MEDIA
Dobyns-Bennett’s Claudia Maness delivers a walk-off sacrifice fly in the ninth inning against Science Hill.
JEFF BIRCHFIELD / SIX RIVERS MEDIA
Dobyns-Bennett's Catie Zani scores the winning run in the ninth inning against Science Hill.
JEFF BIRCHFIELD / SIX RIVERS MEDIA
Dobyns-Bennett pitcher Julianne Tipton throws a pitch for a strike in the first inning of Monday's game with Science Hill.
JEFF BIRCHFIELD / SIX RIVERS MEDIA
Science Hill's Isabel Meeks gets ready to hit the strike zone in Monday's game with Dobyns-Bennett.
JEFF BIRCHFIELD / SIX RIVERS MEDIA
Dobyns-Bennett's Payton Moore makes contact in the third inning of Monday's game with Science Hill.
JEFF BIRCHFIELD / SIX RIVERS MEDIA
Dobyns-Bennett's Kennedy Hatcher scores the game first run in the third inning as Science Hill catcher Laura Wilgus gets ready to secure the ball.
JEFF BIRCHFIELD / SIX RIVERS MEDIA
Maddie Diamond (12), Chloe Conner (7) and other teammates celebrate with Reagan Carroll after she delivered a RBI double in the seventh inning of Monday's game against Dobyns-Bennett.
Catie Zani put Dobyns-Bennett in position to win Monday’s District 1-4A softball tournament game against Science Hill. Claudia Maness delivered the swing that put the Lady Indians over the top.
Maness sent a sacrifice fly to left field to score Zani, who led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a triple. The result was a 3-2 win for the Lady Indians and puts them in Tuesday’s winner’s bracket semifinal against host Daniel Boone. Science Hill (20-9) will face West Ridge in an elimination game.
“She was using the change-up a lot today and I saw it coming,” Maness said. “I knew I could hit it. I just wanted to hit something in the outfield. I don’t think it was really deep enough, but Catie ran and it worked.”
Dobyns-Bennett coach Andy Hubbard pointed out that Maness also laid down a sacrifice bunt earlier in the game, leading to the Lady Indians’ first run.
“She does what we need her to do,” Hubbard said.
The Lady Indians led most of Monday’s game behind a shutdown pitching performance by Julianne Tipton, who ended with 10 strikeouts. But the Lady ’Toppers, who left bases loaded in the fourth inning, came through with a lead-off single by Lora Wilgus and a RBI double by Reagan Carroll for a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh.
Sophie Dean kept Dobyns-Bennett alive by crushing a solo home run over left field to put the game into extra innings. Science Hill got runners on first and second in the eighth inning, but was unable to take advantage. Zani tripled, Dean walked and Tipton bunted to load the bases in the bottom frame for D-B to set the stage for Maness’ game winner.
When she came up to tie the game, Dean felt confident she would be able to come through for her team.
“I went up there thinking if she makes a mistake, I’m going to capitalize on it,” Dean said. “That’s what I did. That’s also huge for Claudia. She’s such an integral part of our team and for her to come up with that big moment, I couldn’t be happier.
Zani was the only player with two hits and Hailey Porter had a RBI single to score courtesy runner Kennedy Hatcher in the third inning for the game’s other score. Wilgus went 2-for-3 to lead Science Hill at the plate. Pitchers for both teams went the distance as Isabel Meeks had a solid outing for the Lady ’Toppers, throwing six strikeouts and giving up just five hits.
She got plenty of help from the defense, especially shortstop Maddie Diamond, who had a highlight-reel throw in the third inning, and Madalyn Kelley, who raced down some flyballs to come up with big outs in right field.
“That one stings for all of us,” Science Hill coach Megan Harmon said. “It hurts for anyone to lose this game. Isabel threw her guts out as she always does and we played well defensively. Offensively, we didn’t have as many hits as I would have liked, but we barreled it up. We just hit some of them right at them.”
Stay Engaged
React to this article and join our community of readers sharing their feedback.
