Sectional heartbreak… Lady Cyclones fall to Gibbs to end season
Published 11:15 pm Monday, May 24, 2021
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Lady Cyclone shortstop Ember Jensen positions herself under a pop fly for an out.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Lady Cyclone catcher Mollie Johnson pounces on a bunt in front of home plate to get the out at first.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton first baseman Kallista Deprimo reacts to a bunt by the Gibbs first baseman to throw her out at first base.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Maely Ingram takes a slap-bunt attempt at a pitch. Ingram had the only hit in the game for the Lady Cyclones.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Lady Cyclone shortstop Ember Jensen can't come up with a wide throw as a Gibbs baserunner steals second base.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Kenidy Harris takes a hack at a pitch during the Lady Cyclones sectional game.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders The students were once again out in force to support the Lady Cyclones during their sectional contest against Gibbs.
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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
Each team knew what was on the line when they took the field at Lady Cyclone Diamond for a Class AA Sectional contest as Knox Gibbs paid a visit to the Elizabethton Lady Cyclones with a trip to the Spring Fling Softball Championship up for grabs.
When the dust settled, the Lady Eagles of Gibbs were state bound to Murfreesboro while the Lady Cyclones ended their season short of one of their goals for the season.
The short game versus power hitting
The scouting report coming in was Gibbs loved to bunt the softball and utilize their speed in forcing their opponents into mistakes and scoring runs.
Elizabethton on the other hand was known for their prowess to put the bat on the ball with power with the ability to put one over the fence anywhere in the lineup.
As the game progressed, the scouting report was spot on as Gibbs used the short ball game to reach base and take advantage of what they could manufacture as the Lady Eagles picked up 10 hits in the contest.
The Lady Cyclones, meanwhile, were pounding the ball but the only problem was that the ball traveled right at a Lady Eagle defender resulting in outs instead of base hits as Elizabethton recorded only one hit in the contest from Maely Ingram.
Top of the order for Gibbs a thorn
Gibbs was effective in the top half of their lineup as shortstop Shelby Blake was a perfect 4-for-4 on the day scoring two runs for the Lady Eagles.
Third baseman Bre Bumgardner also was perfect in the game batting 2-for-2 with two RBIs while also drawing a walk.
The two players accounted for six of the 10 hits recorded for Gibbs on the afternoon.
A year ahead
While the loss was gutwrenching, the talk of most is that the Lady Cyclones are a year ahead of where most thought they would be with the youth on the team.
The Lady Cyclones may even have surprised their head coach Ken Hardin in the way they came together this season.
One thing for certain is that Hardin hopes that the young ladies remember the bad taste left in their mouth after this loss and will come out ready to work and make it to the Spring Fling in 2022.
With returners like starting pitcher Madisun Pritchard, catcher Mollie Johnson, infielders Maddie O’Quinn, Ember Jensen, and Bailee VanHuss along with outfielders Maely Ingram, Cheyenne Poiroux, and Emma O’Quinn and key bench players Kenidy Harris, Dana Holsclaw, and Emma Pendagrass – the sky is the limit to this team.
Kudos to the fans
The Lady Cyclone fans are to be commended for the way they showed up in support of the Lady Cyclones. From student body that painted themselves in orange body paint with lettering to fans coming out wearing their orange, the Cyclone community proved once again how much they support each and every athlete that don the orange and black.
