SAND ROCK – One could tell Cedar Bluff senior pitcher Jordyn Walker was exhausted Thursday following the Lady Tigers’ 7-6 softball win at Sand Rock.
Shortly after she got Lady Wildcat first baseman Briley Knight to ground out to her for the final out of the game, Walker hugged her mother and pitching coach Mandy Walker.
It was an emotional hug, but it was also one of comfort.
“I’ve been going through some stuff with my back,” she said. “It’s been bothering me, so I have to take ibuprofen before every game.”
But the younger Walker didn’t use her back pain as an excuse not to give it her all on Thursday. She scattered six runs on nine hits with two walks and seven strikeouts, and battled back after a rocky seventh inning. Walker gave up a lead off home run to Katelyn StClair and a double to left by Jadyn Foster with no outs, but dug deep to strand the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at first to capture the win.
“I feel like my team always has my back. No matter what I’m going through, I know they’re going to be behind me,” Walker said.
Not only did Walker earn the win in the circle, but she also went 4-for-4 at the plate with double.
“That’s the definition of what you look for in a senior leader. She goes to work every single day,” Cedar Bluff coach Garrett Crane said. “It’s never a question of ‘Is Jordyn going to do what she’s supposed to do?’ She’s the definition of what it is to be gritty. She’s absolutely phenomenal. She’s the face of our program as a senior leader. It’s absolutely an honor and a blessing to coach a girl like that.”
Cedar Bluff (22-10-2) struck for a pair of runs early in the top of the first inning off Lady Wildcat starting pitcher EllaGrace Hood, thanks to a two-run double to left by Haley Allen.
Sand Rock (22-20) scored its first run in the bottom of the second on a run-scoring triple to right off Lacey Barnette’s bat to make it a 2-1 game, but the Lady Tigers extended their lead to 5-1 in the top of the third with three runs. Natalie Baty delivered a two-run double, then Allen followed with another double to left center to score Baty.
The Lady Wildcats scored an unearned run in the bottom of the third to make it a 5-2 game, then Emma Sipsy blasted a two-run shot to left center in the bottom of the fourth to make it a one-run game again at 5-4.
“That was a big hit for us to make it 5-4. It kind of gave us a little pep,” Sand Rock coach Josh Bates said. “I thought right then we were about to explode and really start making things happen, but Jordyn did a great job in the circle. She pitched very well against us. She hit her spots and did a great job keeping us off-balance and getting the right pitch at the right time to get that ground out or that pop up.”
Cedar Bluff managed to add insurance runs in the top of the sixth and seventh off of Lady Wildcat reliever Foster to take a 7-4 advantage before the Sand Rock gave the Lady Tigers a finish in its final at-bat, led by StClair’s homer and Foster’s double.
“Katelyn has been having a little bit of a tough time at the plate, so I was glad to see her get one barreled up there,” Bates said. “I thought when Jadyn hit the double, with Ella coming up, I thought we were about to get things rolling. We had an opportunity there, but just couldn’t get that tying run in.
“The kids put it in play and they did their job. That’s all you can ask of them.”
Allen and Haney both had a pair of hits for Cedar Bluff. Both of Allen’s hits were doubles. She also drove in three runs. Harlie Nelson, Mattie Payne, Reece Patterson, Baty and Ciana Smith each contributed a hit.
Foster had a pair of doubles for Sand Rock. Sipsy homered and doubled. Barnette tripled in a run and had a bunt single. Rylin StClair had a pair of hits and Katelyn StClair homered.
Hood suffered the loss for Sand Rock after working three innings. She gave up five runs on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts before giving way to Foster in the top of the fourth.
