SB: Scrappy Shelbyville comes up short, 2-1
hard-hit fly ball to right field during Tuesday's season finale at
Lady Dragon Field. Shelbyville came up just short of forcing a
three-way playoff for second in the league, falling 2-1. (Photo
by John Krueger)
SHELBYVILLE -- A gutsy performance by a young Shelbyville softball squad came up just short of turning a dismal season into a surprising playoff run here at Lady Dragon Field Tuesday afternoon as SHS did not commit an error in its season finale, coming up one hit short of forcing a three-way tie for second place in the District 22-2A standings in the final game of the regular season.
Shelbyville began play on the final day of the regular season in fourth place, but just one-half game behind idle third-place Hemphill (4-4), after knocking off the Lady Hornets by a 2-1 count last Friday on the road. Kirbyville was set to claim the runner-up spot in the league behind district champion Woodville and was able to do so with a 5-3 record, but the Lady Dragons didn't go down without a fight.
Lady Dragon sophomore hurler Britni Cooper played one of the best games of her career, scattering six hits and walking one through six innings. She gave up two runs, which were earned by Kirbyville. She also fanned four batters.
"They played as well as I could have asked," said an emotionally drained Shelbyville Head Coach Heather Holloway after the contest. "Britni came out on fire; she kept mowing them down and mowing them down.
"You've got to give [Kirbyville] credit; they had a couple of really good hits and that's what the difference was. I don't take anything away from Kirbyville, but we played a heck of a ballgame. And if we can just continue this kind of play next year, the future is really bright here. I hate that the seniors had to go out like this, but we just kicked it into gear a little bit late, that's all."
Shelbyville finished the year with a 4-11 season mark and a 3-5 District 22-2A record, but two of the district wins came in dramatic fashion in the past week, with victory barely escaping the grasp of the hometown team on Tuesday.
The Lady Dragons were solid offensively throughout, keeping the Kirbyville defenders moving as only three SHS players struck out in the game. Shelbyville was just one hit short of breaking the close game open on several occasions, leaving three runners stranded in the fourth frame, another runner in scoring position in the sixth and two runners standing on the basepaths in the final inning.
"Playing in the pressure-type situations that we've had in the past week will definitely help this team in the future," Holloway pointed out. "They got a taste of what big-time ballgames are like and next year they can put it into cruise control, I guess."
Shelbyville took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the opening inning when freshman Paige Wilburn led off with a single to leftfield and advanced to second when freshman Brianna Vaughn hit a sacrifice to the third baseman. One out later sophomore Kelsi Griffin sliced a bloop-single to left, plating Wilburn.
After only allowing a hit in the first and third innings definitely, Shelbyville received a break in the fourth when Kirbyville committed three errors to load the bases with one out. But a pair of fielder's choices that were forced out at home stopped the threat.
Kirbyville then managed to score a pair of runs on three hits in the fifth inning to score the needed runs for the victory.
However, the Lady Dragons weren't done yet. In the sixth inning Kelsi Griffin connected with an infield single and then moved to second on a ground out. But she was left standing at second when the third out was called.
Shelbyville mounted one more scoring offensive in the seventh. With two outs, Britni Cooper singled up the middle. Wilburn then added her second hit of the night, a hard hit infield one-bagger to the shortstop. But the run ended there when the third out was called on a fielder's choice.
Wilburn finished with a 2-for-4 outing for Shelbyville, while Kelsi Griffin also went 2-for-3 with a RBI. Cooper also went 2-for-3.
Junior Keni Griffin also pitched one inning of the game for Shelbyville, giving up just one hit in relief in the seventh frame.
The Lady Dragons fielded only two seniors in the starting lineup to start their season finale. Third baseman Kim Vaughn and leftfielder Megan Stracener played the final game of their career. Substitute Tori Windham, also a senior, played in the contest in a reserve role.
However, two freshmen, four sophomores and two juniors made up the rest of the lineup, giving the Shelbyville program, which will play in Class 1A next season, reason look ahead.
"I've got a great core of kids coming up," Holloway insisted. "In addition to dropping to Class 1A, we're going to be in a district we can be more competitive in."
STATS AT A GLANCE
Linescore
Kirbyville 000 020 0 = 2 7 3
Shelbyville 100 000 0 = 1 6 0
Individual Leaders
LP: Britni Cooper (Shelbyville) - 6.0 inn., 2 runs, 2 ER, 6 hits, 4 K, 1 BB, 0 HB.
2B: None.
3B: Kirbyville - 1.
HR: None.
Records: Kirbyville 5-3 district (2nd place); Shelbyville 4-11, 3-5 district (4th place).