Collin Brooks

Correspondent

collin.brooks@elizabethton.com

The Lady Warriors almost saw their season come to an end as their game with Sullivan South got off to a slow start.

But in a game marked by a rare triple play and a two-run homer, the Happy Valley girls came out on top in a big way.
The Lady Rebels jumped out to a 2-0 run in the first inning and it seemed to stun Happy Valley. But a pep talk before the third inning seemed to energize the Lady Warriors.

That talk not only woke them up, it sparked their bats, helping the Lady Warriors to a six-run third inning.

They claimed a 12-2 victory in five innings.

“Early on, we expected to just come in here and beat them,” Happy Valley’s Kenzie Davis said. “We just came in here and expected to win, so we were dead. But then we started hitting the ball and got on a roll.”

Lady Warriors’ Emily Whitaker sparked the third inning rally, when she knocked a single to right centerfield that allowed Olivia Kelly to score. But Davis’ bat gave Happy Valley the lead for good, when she knocked a double to centerfield and scored two runners.

The next three batters for the Warriors, Sydney Puckett, Calli Davis and pitcher Bailey Hardin, all knocked singles, with Davis and Hardin notching RBIs.

Sullivan South pulled their pitcher and replaced her with Taylor McConnell. She was able to end the inning, but the damage had already been done with the Lady Warriors taking a 6-2 lead.

Happy Valley also made a pitching change after their at bat, bringing in Kalee Johnson. She was able to retire the first three batters she faced, only giving up one hit.

“The plan was to let Bailey get started and then let KJ finish it off and it worked out alright,” Dorsey said.

After that the Lady Warriors were in their groove. They recorded three more runs in the inning, with Kaylee Street reaching base with a single, before being brought home by Johnson. A few batters later, Davis had 2 RBIs, making the score 9-2 at the end of the fourth inning.

The momentum carried the Lady Warriors during the next inning, when they recorded a rare triple play, including an out at home, third base and second base.

They followed that remarkable play up with another, as Whitaker knocked a two-run home run over the centerfield fence to end the contest.

But even though the Lady Warriors won, their season was still on the line when they played Elizabethton in the following contest. Dorsey was hopeful that, by the way his girls fought back, nothing would be able to faze them.

“I hope that this gives them the momentum to keep on going,” Happy Valley coach Mike Dorsey said. “I told them yesterday that I didn’t want this to be my last day, my last game. So we will see what they’ve got.”