The Lady Cyclones were just one strike away from having their perfect conference season spoiled at the hands of the Lady Warriors at Cannon-Gouge Park Tuesday.

With Elizabethton’s Maci West waiting at second, Happy Valley holding a 4-3 lead and two outs on the board in the top of the seventh, Lady Cyclones Bailey Creasy faced a 0-2 count against Happy Valley pitcher Abby Holt. Creasy, however, would rise to the occasion as she ripped a single up the middle between shortstop and second allowing West to scoot to the house, tying the contest at 4-4.

The Lady Cyclones rolled in the eighth frame as they rallied for a whopping 11 runs en route to a 15-4 win over HV.

“Creasy just did an unbelievable job on a 0-2 pitcher,” said Elizabethton head coach Ken Hardin. “She took an outside pitch and drove it up the middle to tie us up. You just can’t say enough about her. She has been hitting the ball as good as anybody here the last couple of weeks. Our kids all stepped up and hit in the next inning.”

The win allowed the Lady Cyclones to finish with a historical 12-0 record in the Three Rivers Conference. It is the first time in history that an Elizabethton softball team has had a perfect tally in the TRC.

The Lady Warriors struck first Tuesday night as Happy Valley posted three runs in the bottom of the second to take an early lead. Lady Warriors Calli Davis started things with an RBI single to net teammate Claire Johnson. HV’s Olivia Absher followed with a single to right field to score Lady Warriors Allie Grindstaff.

Elizabethton answered in the third as Lady Cyclone Macie Herrmann hit a solo home run before EHS’s Lauren Brickey was walked home, narrowing the Lady Warriors lead to 3-2.

Happy Valley pushed its lead to two runs in the bottom of the frame as Lady Warriors Kadie Havner smack a homer out of left field.

In the fourth, Brickey scored Herrmann with a single to make it a one-run game.

The Lady Cyclones eight-inning deluge of runs was highlighted by a two-run homer from West, a two-run double from Brickey, and a two-RBI single from Maggie Johnson.

Brickey picked up the win as she tossed six innings and retired nine Happy Valley batters. Brickey would only have two hits against her. Elizabethton’s Kellie Cunningham opened up the game for EHS and worked the first two innings.

For Happy Valley, freshman pitcher Abby Holt was handed the loss. Before the Lady Cyclones big eighth inning, Holt had held EHS to just four runs and ten hits.

The Lady Cyclones finished the game with 20 hits with West leading the way with a 5-of-6 performance. Both Brickey and Creasy had three hits on the evening while EHS’s Kira Dillard, Herrmann, and Kaylen Shell all had two hits.

Happy Valley’s Absher finished with two hits.