SPRING GARDEN – Spring Garden softball coach Ann Welsh isn’t one who’s overly vocal to her Lady Panthers, but she had one of those rare moments before the top of the fifth inning in a tie game with Sand Rock in the Class 2A, Area 12 championship game.
Her voice was raised up a notch.
“I said ‘Don’t wait to be ready,’” Welsh said. “That was definitely a time where we were there just waiting for something to happen.”
Welsh words seemed to light a spark under the Lady Panthers, particularly her daughter, senior shortstop Neely Welsh.
Spring Garden capitalized on a pair of Sand Rock errors, batted around and scored five runs, with the big blow Neely Welsh’s grand slam to left center field. It was her 10th home run of the season and 23rd of her career, and it helped propel the Lady Panthers to a 7-2 victory.
“That one was just different than any other one, especially the type of game this was,” Neely Welsh said. “It was a good feeling right off the bat. As soon as my teammates started screaming, I knew. I couldn’t help but just go crazy.
“You’ve got to give it to my teammates for getting on in front of me. They make it a lot easier to just put a hit down. Sometimes trying to get a base hit turns into getting a home run.”
The younger Welsh has been swinging a hot bat the final few weeks of the regular season. It’s something both daughter and mother are hoping will continue for the Lady Panthers (22-11-1) into the East Central Regional in Albertville on Thursday against Area 10 runner-up Winston County at 10:45 a.m.
“The last month I think she’s hit a home run in nearly every game we’ve played,” Coach Welsh said. tippmix v sport “She’s just seeing the ball well. We’ve been working really hard on inside-outside pitches, just really setting yourself up there at bat. I think that hard work is paying off.”
Another Lady Panther senior’s hard work is also paying off in pitcher Abbey Steward.
Steward held the Lady Wildcats to just one hit over the final four innings to earn the win. She allowed four hits overall and finished with 12 strikeouts in the game.
“They were picking up on things, so I had to make some adjustments,” Steward said. “My defense stood behind me, so that made my job a whole lot easier. We came out in the first inning and scored, but then we kind of sat back a little bit, and then they fought back. We knew they weren’t going to give it to us, so we just had to keep fighting. We had to mix up the pitch calling a little bit. Coach Welsh did a good job with that, and it just worked out.”
“There at the beginning of the game they had her number,” Coach Welsh said. “We’ve played them so many times this season. We said we were going to go real aggressive with the ones who were aggressive and work the count with the others. We changed a few little things, but not much.”
As Steward said, the Lady Panthers struck for a pair of runs early. Neely Welsh tripled home Avery Steward, who walked to lead off the inning. Abbey Steward then drove in Welsh with a single to left center.
But Sand Rock (25-23) got a run back in the bottom of the first. Katelyn StClair led off with an infield single and worked her way around the bases, scoring on a fielder’s choice at second. The Lady Wildcats tied the game at 2 when StClair doubled to center with one out. She scored on Sherina Foster’s single to left.
StClair led the Lady Wildcats at the plate by going 3-for-4.
“Katelyn did a good job stepping in the box and putting the bat on the ball, just getting on base,” Sand Rock coach Josh Bates said. “That was really good for her. She’s been in kind of a slump, so it was good to see her get some good quality swings and drive the ball. I was proud of her.”
After a scoreless fourth and Coach Welsh’s pep talk, the Lady Panthers took control in the top of the fifth to help clinch another area softball title.
“We were kind of down in the dugout,” Abbey Steward said. “We were just sitting back not ready, but then Layla (Ingram) and Madison (Brown) came up, and we knew then that was our time to put it to them. Neely hit it over and that just made my job a whole lot easier as a pitcher, knowing you could pitch with a lead, and if you do mess up, you’ve got some run support.”
Abbey Steward retired the Lady Wildcats in order in the bottom of the fifth, then struck out the side in the sixth. She gave up an infield single to Katelyn StClair in seventh with two outs, but then got Rylin StClair to ground out to her to end the game.
“It is a little bittersweet, this being our last (home) game, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, beating Sand Rock and winning area,” Abbey Steward said. “It’s just a good feeling. I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else but these girls.”
Following the game, the Lady Panthers walked to center field to thank their student section, then the seniors removed their banners from the outfield fence.
“It meant a lot,” Neely Welsh said of taking her banner down. “That’s the kind of thing you look forward to. If we wouldn’t have hosted area, that would’ve been taken down a week-and-a-half ago, which is a big difference. We take area here at Spring Garden as our senior night. That’s what we aim for.”
That, along with another trip to the state tournament.
“We’re ready to go up there (to Albertville) and play,” Abbey Steward said. “We’re ready to punch our ticket to state. We’ve got to get back to work. That’s what we want to do. Us six seniors, that’s our goal for this year, to get back to state and make them know who we are in 2A.”
Sand Rock also seeks to reach the state tournament. They’ll play Area 10 champion Sumiton Christian in Albertville on Thursday at 10:45 a.m.
“You’ve got to punch your ticket to get in the regional, and then we keep fighting,” Bates said. “I thought our kids did a good job the first game (against Gaston) being focused. tippmix hu sportfogadás They did a good job making sure we punched our ticket. You’ve got to be there to have a chance, and that’s what I’ve told them all along. We’ve been up and down a little bit, but if we get hot at the right time, the sky’s the limit. I’ve seen us play really well and beat some quality teams. I hope next week when we roll into Albertville we’ve got that team.”
As Bates said, the Lady Wildcats punched their ticket to Albertville with an 18-0 victory over Gaston in five innings in an elimination game on Thursday.
In that game, Katelyn StClair went 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple and drove in four runs. EllaGrace Hood was 3-for-3. Foster tripled and had a run-scoring single. Emma Sipsy doubled and walked. Kailee Patterson came off the bench and delivered a two-run triple in the fifth.
Hood, who suffered the loss against Spring Garden in the championship game, earned the win in the circle against Gaston after working a pair of innings, giving up a hit with no walks and three strikeouts.
