The Shadow
In round one of the playoffs this year —played on the evening of May 22— the Varsity Lady Cougars’ time was cut short in round one after falling to the Broadway Gobblers 3-7. Although the Lady Cougars” softball team managed to best the Gobblers in the amount of hits they received —the Cougars had 6 to the Gobblers 5— they were unable to recover from Broadway’s running streak that occurred in the bottom of the third.
After travelling to Broadway, Alleghany was first to bat with Bryce Leitch leading off. She singled on a ground ball to second and eventually put herself in scoring position after Laken Cantrell, next at bat, doubled on a line drive to right field. Kaylee Nicely stepped up to the plate, singling on a grounder to center field which allowed Leitch and Cantrell to get an early lead against Broadway, 2-0. It would be their only runs in the first inning before giving the Gobblers a chance at bat against the tough Alleghany defense.
After a 3 up, 3 down inning for the Gobblers, the Cougars remained up 2-0 going into the second. Both Alleghany and Broadway would go scoreless in the second. In the third, the Lady Cougars were scoreless again, while the Lady Gobblers found magic somewhere in the dugout. After singling on a grounder with the first batter and an Alleghany error on the second, Broadway was on the board for the first time, closing the gap 2-1. A walk and error later, the Gobblers took over the lead 3-2. They would gain two more runs in the third, putting the score at 5-2, Broadway going into the fourth.
Paige Webb went up to bat, looking to get Alleghany back in the game. Webb swung, doubling on a line drive to center field before Kelsey Nicely stepped up to the plate, sacrificing a fly to right field. It paid off. Webb scored, closing the gap to 5-3, Gobblers. Despite their best efforts, the Lady Cougars were unable to score any more runs prior to the Gobblers taking their turn at bat. Broadway would score 1 run in the bottom of the fourth, furthering their lead to 6-3 against Alleghany.
Following a scoreless fifth inning, the Lady Cougars went into the sixth still down by 4. Despite an error on Broadway and Kinsey Middleton getting hit by pitch, Alleghany remained at a 6-3 deficit in the bottom of the sixth. Meanwhile, the Broadway Gobblers scored another run, advancing their lead to 7-3. Soon after, in the top of the seventh, the Gobblers earned a walk-off win, keeping the score at 7-3, Broadway, and officially ending the season for the Varsity Lady Cougars.
Head Coach Lee Phillips wrote the following post on his Facebook page which beautifully sums up tone of the game and the incredible efforts of an amazing team. “Playoff losses hit the HARDEST. The FINALITY of it all hits so fast when it’s win or go home. Especially for our SENIORS & their families. We dropped a game to a pesky Broadway team that played small ball at its finest & we couldn’t finish the job. To say that I am THANKFUL to have been involved w/ this season & my seniors last ride would be an understatement.”
The Lady Cougars end their season with an impressive overall record of 12-8.
