BRISTOL, Tenn. – Tennessee High ace pitcher Carly Compton had been in cruise control all season as she mowed down opposing batters with her arsenal of offerings, but she wasn’t in complete command against the resolute hitters from Gibbs High School.
The tradition-rich Eagles walked seven times and tallied nine hits against Compton in collecting a 5-1 win over THS on Sunday afternoon in a TSSAA Class AAA sub-state (or sectional if you prefer) softball contest at Rotary Field.
“They were definitely a lot more patient with my pitches,” Compton said. “I came out and didn’t really feel my best, but still felt pretty good. Things just didn’t go our way.”
Ten-time state champion Gibbs (29-12) booked its annual trip to Murfreesboro for the state tourney that begins Tuesday, while the Tennessee High Vikings had their stellar 2024 season – which included Upper Lakes Conference and Region 1-AAA championships – conclude with a record of 24-5.
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“It was a good game between two good ball teams,” said THS coach David Boggs. “Things went their way.”
Compton did not have a single 1-2-3 inning against the Eagles and threw 150 total pitches. She struck out 14, but it was a laborious effort as the University of North Carolina commit frequently faced three-ball counts.
“We’ve probably faced six or seven girls throughout our season that throw similar to her,” said Gibbs coach Carol Mitchell. “You learn throughout the season how to handle pitchers that throw a lot of different kinds of pitches and try to keep you off balance. My hitters, especially down in our lineup, did a really good job [of making Compton work].”
Gibbs pitcher Lacey Keck got Gibbs going with a one-out RBI double in that first inning in which Compton threw 28 pitches.
Did that give the Eagles some early confidence?
“I feel like it did,” Keck said.
Keck had her own impressive pitching performance as the junior left-hander showed plenty of poise.
She yielded just three hits, notched seven strikeouts and was aided by a flawless defense.
Tennessee High entered the game with a team batting average of .385 and the Vikings were averaging 7.7 runs per game.
“My mindset was that my team had my back and I knew they had my back,” Keck said. “We had to keep up our energy because that team was really good with a really good pitcher who could really dominate in the circle.”
Compton can swing the bat pretty well too and she had two of Tennessee High’s three hits on Sunday. The most notable was her 12th home run of the season, a no-doubt shot to center field that tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning.
“I knew coming in that [Keck] was going to try to throw outside, outside, outside and we prepared for that,” Compton said. “I just saw it come in and had to barrel something up against a good pitcher. I wasn’t trying to hit one over.”
The sixth inning turned out providing the game’s most important sequences.
In the top of the sixth, junior Maddi Whaley of Gibbs capped off a nine-pitch at-bat by hammering a one-out, tiebreaking solo home run.
Whaley held down the eighth spot in the batting order for the Eagles and it was just her second longball of the season.
“She’s got a lot of power,” Mitchell said. “It’s just getting that right pitch in there. It looked almost like a change-up. [Compton] hung it and Maddi hit it.”
With one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, Tennessee High loaded the bases as Addie Wilhoit walked, Abby Haga was hit on her batting helmet with a pitch and Compton singled to center to load the bases.
Tennessee High’s Maddi Hall followed by hitting a flare behind first base that appeared might fall in, but second baseman Savanna Mello sprinted over to make the snag as the runners held.
Then, Macie Strouth hammered a 1-2 pitch from Keck that traveled toward the right-field fence, but right fielder Dakota Large of the Eagles got a good jump, stuck up her glove and made the snag near the warning track.
“It looked like a receiver catching a touchdown pass,” Mitchell said. “She’s been great for us all year.”
Keck’s heart likely skipped a beat when Strouth – who has had a penchant for hitting home runs in key moments during her first three seasons on the varsity level – made solid contact.
“[Large] came out of nowhere,” Keck said. “I was like, ‘Man.’ It was amazing.”
It was a moment that frequently occurs in postseason games where the momentum completely shifts from one dugout to the other and everybody in the ballpark knows it.
“It definitely gets a little bit deflating,” Compton said. “They are good on defense and they are quick and we knew that coming in. They’re fast. It’s hard when you’re barreling balls and they are going straight to people. That’s just the game. The game’s a game of failure sometimes, for sure, but we never lost faith.”
Gibbs batted around and scored three times in the top of the seventh as Addison Merritt scored on a wild pitch, Hayley Keck was plunked by a pitch with the bases loaded and Malyiah Smith laid down a bunt single with the bases loaded to drive in a run.
Lacey Keck retired Tennessee High in order in the bottom of the seventh inning to put the finishing touches on her gem.
“Lacey pitched well,” Mitchell said. “She kept the ball down so much.”
The postgame celebration was common for Gibbs, which has not missed the TSSAA state tournament since 2015 – not counting the 2020 season that was canceled due to the pandemic, of course.
In fact, the Eagles have missed the state tournament just twice since 1991.
That’s the definition of a powerhouse.
Many folks were stunned when Gibbs suffered a 5-1 loss to Carter in the regional finals.
“After that loss on Wednesday, we told them that we have had eight teams that lost in the region [title game] and went on and won the sub-state game on the road,” Mitchell said. “That was one of our big things we said was making it nine-for-nine. Tennessee High’s a great team and Compton’s a great pitcher and it was a battle right up there until the end. We were fortunate to come out of here with a win.”
Wilhoit had Tennessee High’s other hit.
It was the third straight postseason win for Gibbs against Tennessee High as the Eagles blanked the Bristolians in the first round of the 2022 state tournament and beat them in the sectional round in 2023 at home. The Vikings scored just one run over the course of 21 innings in those defeats.
“All I can do is trust God’s plan,” Compton said. “Because there was no reason for us to lose that ballgame. It just slipped from us and that’s OK. Crap happens.”
Gibbs 100 001 3—5 9 0
Tennessee High 000 100 0—1 3 0
L. Keck and Merritt. Compton and Haga. W – L. Keck (27-9). L – Compton (21-2). HR – Compton (THS), 4th, none on; Whaley (G), 6th, none on.