Ooltewah's Allie Jones smashes a game-winning three-run homer as the Lady Owls beat Soddy-Daisy, 3-2, in District 5-AAA softball action on Tuesday.
photo by Dennis Norwood
Soddy-Daisy’s Shanna Penney was golden for five innings.
Penney had limited Ooltewah to two hits, no runs and retired 15 in a row after getting Tyler Sullivan on a foul pop to third starting the sixth.
The Lady Owls’ bats suddenly came alive.
Freshman pitcher Kayla Boseman doubled to left. Tiera Lemon reached on an infield hit. Slugger Allie Jones followed with a clutch three-run home run and Ooltewah went on to beat Soddy-Daisy, 3-2, in a thrilling District 5-AAA softball game at Jim Lovell Field.
“Allie just freakin’ killed that ball,” said Boseman, who improved to 3-0 by holding the Lady Trojans scoreless over the final three innings.
“I was on base and just knew Allie was going to hit a bomb. She always comes through for me.”
It was Ooltewah’s first district win over the Lady Trojans in five years – Jones was an eighth-grader back then and watched the game. The Lady Owls beat the Lady Trojans in the Ooltewah Invitational at The Summitt three years ago.
“We can enjoy this one tonight because it was a big win for our program,” Lady Owls coach Jon Massey said. “We want to get where (the Lady Trojans) are, period. They’re still very talented and one of the best teams in the state.”
Jones, a senior, has hit three home runs this season and produced eight RBIs on those out-of-the-park bombs. Jones’ first homer was a solo shot, the second was a grand slam against Hixson and she added the three-run blast against the Lady Trojans (4-2, 4-1).
“All three of them have landed right over there,” said Massey, pointing toward several pine trees beyond the right-field fence. “I was glad to see that one tonight. I was frustrated all night with our mode of attack. (Penney) did a good job last year and tonight getting us to swing at her pitches. Shanna is hard to figure out, but you have to keep battling, keep working and try your best to put the ball in play.”
Tuesday’s rocket off a 1-1 pitch from Penney carried a bit more significance for Jones, who also plays volleyball and basketball.
“That home run really felt good,” Jones said, “but it wouldn’t have meant anything if my teammates hadn’t gotten on base before me. All my home runs mean a lot, but this one was a pretty big deal.”
Ooltewah (5-1, 3-0) has now beaten the district’s two perennial title contenders – Walker Valley and Soddy-Daisy – in home games. They next times they face those teams it will be at Walker Valley (April 8) and at Soddy-Daisy (April 29).
“We just can’t get complacent,” Massey said, “and I don’t think that will happen. These girls want to win. They’re tired of getting to the district (tournament) and not getting out of the district.”
It looked like Penney had the Lady Owls’ number.
She gave up back-to-back, one-out singles to Lemon and Jones in the first inning, but then retired 15 straight.
Like thunder striking a tree four times in the same storm, Boseman ripped Penney’s second pitch to the left-field fence for a rally triggering double.
Down 0-2 in the count, Lemon’s grounder was fielded by Abby Walker, who fell to the ground and couldn’t make a throw to first. Penney fired a strike to Jones and then a ball. On her next delivery, a pitch up and in, the left-hand hitting Jones – she bats third in the lineup – unleashed a picture-perfect, slightly upper swing and the yellow softball rode a clothesline path into the darkness behind the outfield fence.
“I wasn’t really thinking about a home run,” Jones said, “but I was determined not to let my team down. I just wanted to hit the ball and move the runners over. I knew the homer was gone when I hit it.”
She moved them all right, straight toward home plate and into the jubilant Lady Owls’ dugout.
“People say hitting is contagious,” Soddy-Daisy coach Wes Skiles said. “You saw it right there. We knew (Jones) was a good hitter. I probably should have gone with my gut and called a different pitch, but I didn’t. I thought we could sneak one past her.
“You make a pitch and sometimes the hitter does something with it and sometimes they don’t. She did, but good by her. She’s a great hitter and we also know that Shanna is a great pitcher. We got Jones to mis-hit a ball earlier, but she got that one square in the middle.”
Ooltewah’s Mabry Carpenter, who had flied out and struck out in two previous at-bats, singled to keep the rally going.
Penney got Aubie Collake on a pop-foul to third baseman Greyson Brown and struck out Shelby Sutton for the third time to end the inning. Penney finished with seven strikeouts.
Boseman, who got the win against Walker Valley in the second game of the weather-delayed season, retired Jessica Bales on a groundout, fanned Meagan Beasley and retired Gracie Ratledge on a line drive to third, ending the game.
Ironically, three different Soddy-Daisy players – Lauren Thomas, Maddie Millwood and Beasley – batted in the ninth spot and all three struck out.
Boseman ended with nine strikeouts and walked just one.
The hard-throwing right-hander gave up one-out singles to Brooke Hale and Alexis Trimiar in the first, but fanned Cam Swafford and Brown to end that threat.
That started a streak where Boseman retired nine of 10 batters before walking Brown with one out in the fourth inning. Shana Ward singled and both runners advance on a passed ball. After Walker whiffed, Bales delivered a two-run single to left-center field.
“They scored two runs, but I was OK,” Boseman said. “I just had to continue throwing good.”
Boseman gave up singles in the fifth and sixth innings, but the Lady Trojans failed to produce any more runs.
Both teams get right back on the field Wednesday for non-district games. Ooltewah hosts Red Bank at 6 p.m. while Soddy-Daisy goes to Girls Preparatory School for a 5 p.m. game. GPS defeated the Lady Trojans, 1-0, earlier.
LINESCORE
Soddy-Daisy 000 200 0 – 2 5 0
Ooltewah 000 003 x – 3 5 1
Penney and Swafford; Boseman and Williams.
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)