Region 1-AA Softball Tournament: Elizabethton blanks Greeneville to advance to region finals

Published 10:45 pm Monday, May 16, 2016

The Lady Cyclones brought out the heavy metal and banged their heads to the tune of 12 hits as they topped Greeneville 10-0 Monday at Hardin Field.

“That may have been the best we have hit the ball in a long time,” EHS head coach Ken Harding said. “We put the ball in play continuously, and we ran the bases aggressively. We played like we can, and I am real proud of our kids”

Eight of the Lady Cyclones lineup were able to garner a hit Monday, with Maci West wielding the mightiest bat as she blasted two doubles and an RBI, while recording two runs. EHS’ Haley Fair, Jordan Grindstaff, Lauren Brickey, and Abby McKinney all had two hits apiece. Kennedy Richardson, Grindstaff, and Brickey all had doubles along with West’s two.

While the Lady Cyclones where wreaking havoc at the plate and on the base paths, EHS pitcher Kellie Cunningham was causing her own chaos from the circle as she slung a 5-hit shutout over the course of seven innings. The Lady Cyclone slinger struckout eight batters. Cunningham saw two innings in which the Lady Greene Devils had the base loaded but was able to fight Greeneville off, and even though she was pitching against last year’s state championship team, Cunningham said she was comforted knowing she had her team behind her.

“I knew if I threw a bad pitch my defense would have my back,” Cunningham said.

After a scoreless first inning, the Lady Cyclones struck in the top of the second as West knocked in Brickey with an RBI double before coming home her self during a ground by Allison Riddle to put EHS up 2-0.

In the top of the third, Richardson started things out by slamming an extremely deep double, before coming to the house off an RBI double from Brickey to give ‘Betsy a 3-0 lead heading into the fourth inning.

EHS kept rolling in the fourth, with courtesy runner Katelyne Loudy being knocked home by Fair’s RBI single. West, who had got on base with her second double of the game, also scored off an error, climbing the Lady Cyclones’ lead out to 5-0.

‘Betsy picked up two more runs in the sixth, before netting three more in the top of the seventh. Loudy and Grindstaff both had RBI single in the seventh.

On Wednesday, it will be deja vu as the Lady Cyclones take on the Unicoi Lady Blue Devils for the Region 1-AA Title. Both teams have already secured a sectional berth.