Lady Cyclones season comes to an end
Published 11:51 am Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent High fives all around as the Lady Cyclones break the huddle and get ready to face the Lady Vikings of Tennessee High prior to the first inning of Monday night’s elimination game in the District 1-2A tournament at David Crockett’s softball field.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones starting pitcher Laci Gobble (2) has the call right as first baseman Lilly McDuffie (13) puts the squeeze on the second out of the first inning off the bat of Tennessee High’s Kaylie Hughes (1) in the elimination game of the District 1-2A tournament.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent After charging a dribbling grounder, Lady Cyclones third baseman Sadie Williams (25) fires to first in time for the final out of the first inning.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent A little between-innings hijinks as the Lady Cyclones’ Addy Campbell (1) asks if anyone has seen her Gatorade cups — she just didn’t know where they’d gotten to.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones shortstop Kaity Gryder (18) lets Tennessee High’s courtesy runner Callie Becker (2) tag herself out on a caught stealing attempt in the top of the second inning.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent A bobbled toss between Elizabethton second baseman Addy Campbell (1), who was charged with an error, and shortstop Kaity Gryder (18) allows Tennessee High’s Jenna Latham to avoid the force at second in the top of the second inning.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Lady Cyclones first baseman Lilly McDuffie (13) stretches for an offline throw for the final out of the top of the third inning.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent The Lady Cyclones’ Sadie Williams (25) dives in safely under the tag of Tennessee High third baseman Macie Strouth (22) as the front half of a double steal by Elizabethton in the bottom half of the third inning.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent The Lady Vikings prepare to greet Macie Strouth (22) after her two-run homer to right-center field with one out in the top of the second inning, giving Tennessee High a 2-0 lead.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent The Lady Cyclones’ Kaity Gryder (18) takes one for the team as a low pitch catches her on the leg in the bottom half of the third inning.
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Star Correspondent
The night was cold, and so were the Elizabethton Lady Cyclones’ bats in the District 1-2A softball playoffs on Monday night at David Crockett Field. The Cyclones fell 7-1 to Tennessee High and were eliminated from the playoffs.
“This is a young group that gained a lot of experience from this season,” Lady Cyclones head coach Kenneth Hardin said. “We won 22 games this season, and this is a special group of kids that will accomplish good things down the road.”
Freshman starter Laci Gobble was not her usual dominant self on this night, and the Lady Vikings collected nine hits off her and scored five runs in her six innings of work. The Vikings scored a pair of runs in the top of the second on a two-run home run from Macie Strouth.
Her blast came after a leadoff double from Abby Haga and was part of a five-hit inning that Gobble was able to escape with just two runs scoring. Haga finished the game 4-for-4 with two doubles, two singles, a run scored and two runs batted in.
In the third, the Vikings struck for two more runs with the help of an error in the outfield. Kaylie Hughes singled to open the frame, and Brooklyn Fuel walked, and Haga ripped a hit to center field where the ball got away from Adrian Heading, allowing both runners to cross the plate and stake the Vikings to a 4-0 lead.
Vikings starter Carrington Harris gave up just one run on three hits in her six innings in the circle. She struck out nine and walked just one in getting the victory. In the bottom of the fourth, the Cyclones put forth a rally that scored a run but could have produced much more.
Piper Kate Bennett reached on an infield error, and Gobble had an infield hit to put runners on first and second, and Brook Sparks’ single to third loaded the bases. Lilly McDuffie collected an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-1.
With two away, Sadie Williams hit a bullet to third, which was caught by Strouth and ended the threat.
“If that ball is two or three inches further out, we score two more runs,” Hardin said. “But that is the game. They just outplayed us tonight. I don’t know how much, if at all, the cold affected Laci’s pitching, but we have played in colder games.”
In the fifth, Fuel and Haga both singled, and one out later, Fuel scored on a fielder’s choice ground ball for a 5-1 Vikings lead. The Cyclones pulled off a double play to end the threat when Strouth grounded to third, where Williams threw to first, and McDuffie then fired to Blackwell behind the plate to put the tag on Haga.
The Vikings added a pair of runs against McDuffie in the seventh to solidify their win. Haga had an RBI double in the frame, and Lily Ware also collected a run batted in.
Tennessee High 7, Elizabethton 1
Tennessee High 022 010 2 – 7 12 3
Elizabethton 000 100 0 – 1 5 1
W – Harris. L – Gobble.
DP – E 1. HR – Strouth. 2B – Haga 2.
