A pitchers’ duel came down to the final inning, as Jackson Prep scored one run in the top of the seventh to win 3-2 in a district game at Parklane Academy Thursday night.
Lady Pioneers’ pitcher Hannah Creel threw a complete game, giving up two earned runs, two walks and a homer in the top of the fourth while recording a strikeout.
Parklane head coach Steve Sasser said he was as proud of Creel as he could be for the way she battled, and he hated that she came out on the losing end of things.
“When you have two pitchers like Creel and Jackson Prep’s pitcher, you know it’s going to be a close ballgame,” Sasser said. “You know you’re going to have to manufacture some runs to win the ballgame. We wanted to go through the lineup one time and see what she (Jackson Prep’s pitcher was like). Then we get a better idea of what we’d do at the plate because this was our first time to face her.”
Creel got out of jams on defense to keep the game close.
Jackson Prep loaded the bases with two singles and a walk in the top of the third. Creel got the next batter to groundout to the pitcher to end the inning with no runs crossing the plate.
With one runner on first in the top of the fifth, Jackson Prep’s hitter singled to right field. Parklane right fielder LaDynasti “Bree” Carr relayed the ball to third baseman Halee Jenkins, who tagged the Jackson Prep runner out to end the inning.
“Jackson Prep’s going to put pressure on you,” Sasser said. “They’ve got speed. They can slap the ball. A defense is going to have pressure on them all the time. We made enough plays tonight to win the ballgame. We just came up a little short.”
The Lady Patriots scored on a leadoff double and sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh to take a 3-2 lead.
Carr went to second base on an error in the bottom of the fifth and scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 1-1.
After Jackson Prep scored on a one-run double to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth, the Lady Pioneers (6-4, 1-1) tied things up in the bottom half of the inning.
Destini Brown led off the bottom of the sixth with a single for Parklane. Brown went all the way to third base on a Carrington Jefcoat sacrifice bunt. Brown also scored on the play thanks to a Jackson Prep throwing error to tie things at 2-2.
“When you get into conference play and you play the 4A teams, most all games are going to be close,” Sasser said. “A play here, a play there will decide the difference in the ballgame. But I will say this, that was two good ball clubs playing tonight, went after it tooth and nail. Somebody’s got to win and somebody’s got to lose. I’m just as proud as I can be of our young ladies. They came out, and they really competed tonight.”
The Lady Pioneers had just five hits in the loss.
Brown was 2 for 3 with one run, Mabry Glass was 1 for 3, Jefcoat was 1 for 3, Creel was 1 for 3, and Elizabeth Platt was 0 for 2 with a walk.
The Lady Pioneers junior varsity defeated Jackson Prep in the game prior to the varsity matchup 7-0.
Parklane pitcher Alli Albritton gave up no runs in the first two innings, while Emma Roberts shut down Jackson Prep in the third.
Roberts walked and Gabby Hutson had a bunt single to get a three-run rally going in the second, while Rachel Platt had a sacrifice bunt, and Katelin Brent singled.
Rachel Platt walked during a four-run bottom of the third, while Brent belted a two-run double.
The Parklane varsity and junior varsity are in the Silliman Institute tournament in Clinton, La., on Saturday.
