CEDAR BLUFF – The Cedar Bluff Lady Tigers capitalized on a pair of Sand Rock fielding errors, which led to three runs, and left fielder Za’Niya Kyle put the exclamation point on Cedar Bluff’s 6-2 softball win on Thursday with her solo home run to center field in the bottom of the sixth.
“Za’Niya has been hitting the ball well. She’s been putting in a lot of extra work, and it’s really showing,” Cedar Bluff coach Garrett Crane said. “It’s big for her, but it was big from a momentum side going into the last inning. It ramped us up to go in there and finish it.”
Class 1A, No. 10 Cedar Bluff (19-8-2) put the pressure on Sand Rock (18-16) early by sending eight batters to the plate against pitcher Jadyn Foster to take a 3-0 lead.
Leadoff batter Harlie Nelson reached on an error at second following a bunt. Following a single to center by shortstop Mattie Payne, Nelson scored the Lady Tigers’ first run on a single to right by pitcher Jordyn Walker.
First baseman Reece Patterson brought home Payne and Walker with a two-run single to center, giving the Lady Tigers a 3-0 advantage.
Sand Rock fought back in the top of the third with a pair of runs. With one out, Rylin StClair reached on an error at second. Following a Nelson pop out at second, Foster reached on an error at short. Then, EllaGrace Hood walked to load the bases for catcher Sherina Foster. She delivered a single to left to score a pair of runs to make it a 3-2 game.
However, Cedar Bluff responded with two runs in the bottom half of the innings thanks to a pair of singles by Emma Haney and Caitlin Slayton. They both scored on Payne’s deep fly ball that was just out of the reach of Sand Rock center fielder Lacey Barnette’s glove.
After four innings, Cedar Bluff led 5-2.
“That’s kind of been our thing the whole year, the way we respond when something happens on the adversity side of it,” Crane said. “What are we going to do? How are we going to react? By getting those two runs back, I thought that was really, really big.”
“We got back in it, but they did a great job of capitalizing on our mistakes,” Sand Rock coach Josh Bates said. “They’re a good team. They do a good job putting it in play.”
Bates tried to create a spark in the top of the second inning following singles by Sherina Foster and Emma Sipsy with one out. On Sipsy’s single, Bates gave Sherina Foster the green light for third, but she was thrown out by right fielder Haley Allen.
Then in the sixth with two outs, Sand Rock had runners on following a single to center by Hood and a walk to Aliyah King with one out. Walker retired Sipsy on a pop out to center for the second out, then Barnette belted a single to left. Bates sent Hood around third, but she was thrown out at the plate for the final out of the inning.
“I was a little aggressive on the bases and got a couple of runners thrown out. That’s on me,” Bates said. “You try to see what you can do at this point of the season, trying to push them a little bit. We just try to get better each day. I was proud of our girls for fighting and trying to keep us in it, but hats off to Cedar Bluff. They’ve got a great team and played well today.”
Kyle scored the game’s final run on her solo shot to center off Jadyn Foster with one out, then Walker picked up the win by retiring the Sand Rock side in order in the bottom of the seventh.
Walker scattered five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Jadyn Foster suffered the loss after giving up three earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts.
Payne and Haney led Cedar Bluff with a pair of hits. Walker, Patterson, Kyle and Slayton each added a hit.
Sherina Foster led Sand Rock with a pair of hits. Hood singled and walked. Sipsy and Barnette contributed a hit apiece.
Sand Rock’s Sherina Foster follows through on a swing on a fly ball to left field against Cedar Bluff on Thursday. Photo by Shannon Fagan.