Page 1 vs. Franklin 0
Pitching and defense are the core of the sport of softball. But one big bat can overcome it all. From the circle, Page High School's Shelby Buffington and Franklin’s Abby O’Hagan proved the first point Monday, with Buffington facing only 17 batters in the first five innings and O’Hagan striking out six of the first eight she faced before finishing with 10 Ks. The Lady Patriots’ ninth batter, Jenna Adkisson, proved the second point when she launched the big yellow sphere over the fence in left center field to give Page all the offense it needed to take a 1-0 victory in the opening round of the District 11-AAA tournament. “Abby is great and I own that one,” Lady Admirals coach Karen Whidby declared after the game. “I called the pitch and she put it exactly where I told her. I should have gone the other way.” Adkisson was happy to see the low, inside pitch, but she thought it was just a long out. I thought she caught it and I was like, ‘Crap!’," she said afterward. "I wasn’t watching the ball because coach Travis (Polk) yells at me if I look at the ball, so I just kept running.” Franklin challenged the razor thin lead in the sixth, loading the bases on singles by Sydney Harris, O’Hara, and Carlynn Atamaniuk with one out. But Buffington cut down Harris at the plate on a fielder’s choice before Emme Glover popped up to catcher Kaylie Adcock to end the threat. “We just didn’t come out here and hit the way we should have,” said Whidby. “That’s pretty much the game." Most coaches might have been concerned with just a one-run lead, but it didn’t bother Page’s Scott McElroy. “I wouldn’t say I was scared,” he related after the contest, “because I believe in them. We’re 7-1 in the last eight games and they are beginning to gel a little bit, starting to believe in themselves and that’s the big thing to me. "We told them you don't get rewarded for winning the regular season – their whole season started today.” Like most at the contest, he, too, was impressed with the pitching. “It was most definitely a pitcher’s duel," he said. "The young lady from Franklin (O’Hagan) pitched a very good game and hit her spots. (Shelby) was tight with the pitches we called, some at big times when she got us ground balls on one of our best defensive games of the year.” The game was played in chilly weather after the home team changed the start time from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. despite Franklin’s arrival at 3:30 p.m. It also included a “hold your breath” moment when a foul ball left the unfenced right field line and bounced on Arno Road in the twilight, just seconds before a passing car crossed its path. The ball bounded across the road and into the Page Middle School parking lot, fortunately avoiding traffic. Fourth-seeded Page will face No. 1 Dickson County Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Fly Park, while Franklin will face Independence in the early game at Fly Park at 5:30 p.m. in an elimination contest.
Page 1, Franklin 0, District 11-AAA Quarterfinal
FHS 000 000 0 – 0 3 0
PHS 001 000 X – 1 5 1
WP – Buffington. LP – O’Hagan.
FHS – Harris 1-3, O’Hagan 0-3, Atamaniuk 2-3, Tucker 0-3, No. 2 0-3, Costello 0-3, Jennings 0-3, Anisi 0-3, Gardner 0-2.
PHS – J. Polk 1-3, E. Polk 1-3, Atkinson 0-3, Cuevas 0-2, Buffington 0-2, Adcock 1-2, Riley 0-2, Fite 0-2, Adkisson 2-2.
3B – J. Polk. HR – Adkisson. RBI – Adkisson. Team LOB – FHS 5, PHS 2.
Other 1st Round Results:
No. 6 Spring Hill's 14-2 win at No. 3 Brentwood, while the No. 2 Summit girls posted a 15-5 win over seventh-seeded Ravenwood. In the play-in game, No. 8 Independence tipped No. 9 Centennial before falling 15-0 against Dickson County with both games in Dickson. Independence will face Ravenwood at 5:30 p.m. at Centennial in an elimination game with the winner to face Brentwood at 7:30 p.m. also at CHS.
Source: Williamson Herald
