TIMELY hitting carried the Jackson County softball team last Wednesday night — all the way to the Elite Eight.
The Panthers swept a Sweet 16 doubleheader over Fannin County Wednesday at home to secure a coveted trip to the state quarterfinals in Columbus.
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“I couldn’t be any happier just because I feel like it was a whole team effort,” Jackson County coach Chessie Laird said. “Everyone did what we asked.”
The Panthers (21-15-1) took the opener, 3-2, in dramatic fashion, and then rallied to win the night cap 9-7 to set off a celebration for both the team and the home-standing crowd at Panther Stadium.
Two-out runs were the story of the night.
Alyssa Dasher went a combined 6-for-8 and was the hero of game one, doubling home Cassie Satterfield for the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Jackson County scored its other runs in the first and sixth innings off of errors.
In the second game, Jackson County (playing as the visiting team) trailed 6-5 in the top of the sixth but scored a pair of two-out runs off a double steal (Dasher took home) and an RBI single from Madi Pecht.
Jackson County added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh with a two-out, two-run single from Andrea Ledford.
Peyton Sorrells earned the win in game one, throwing seven innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs and one walk while striking out one.
Shelton Kendrix, pitching in relief, threw four and two-thirds innings for the win. She gave up three runs and six hits and had two strikeouts.
The second game was a seesaw contest with the Panthers trailing 1-0 after an inning but storming ahead with four runs in the top of the third. Dasher tied the game at one with an RBI single and Victoria Woods scored on a passed ball to put the Panthers up 2-1. Victoria Fontana grounded out to third to bring home another run, while the fourth run of the inning scored off an error at first base.
It was Fannin County’s turn in the bottom of the third as the Rebels pushed five runs across the plate, highlighted by a towering two-run blast from Karly Thompson.
Jackson County pulled to within one run, 6-5, in the top of the fifth with an RBI single from Shelton Kendrix, setting up the dramatic sixth inning.
By securing the trip to the Elite Eight, Jackson County continues to meet the goals it set forth at the beginning of the year.
“So far, we’ve pretty much met everything,” Laird said. “This group of seniors, I can’t speak any higher for them. They keep us going, they keep us pumped up. They have a lot of seniority under their belts, a lot of experience. They have just taken these underclassmen and groomed them and helped make them as confident as they are.”
