By Erik Harris
TRUSSVILLE – Hewitt-Trussville ran out of time in the opener of the 2015 Jaguar Classic at Goldie Paine Field on Friday night.
Hillcrest shortstop K.K. Crocker delivered the walk-off, solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to end the contest at 2-1. She made clean contact with two outs and watched the ball inch its way over the right field fence.
Due to tournament rules, the game was called immediately following Crocker’s shot. Each tournament game has a time limit of 70 minutes and can’t begin another frame after 65 minutes of play.
The shortstop scored both Patriot runs while going 2-for-3 with a double and the decisive home run.
Hewitt-Trussville head coach Karen Johns thought her team looked a little too anxious in its first home game of the season.
“We haven’t played a home game so I think they were just a little jacked up so we just take a deep breath, calm down and go from there,” Johns said.
Bailey Murphey went the distance for the Lady Huskies, throwing 4 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and a walk. She located well early in at-bats, throwing 14 first-pitch strikes.
“(Murphey) did a good job,” Johns said. “She threw like one bad pitch, really, a couple bad pitches, but she did a good job.”
Hannah Payne threw a complete game for the Patriots, allowing only one hit and an unearned run. She struck out five and walked one.
“She just kept it away from us and she changed speeds a little bit, but we just didn’t adjust to driving the ball up the middle, Johns said. “She was able to get more strikeouts than what we would normally do.”
Payne’s lone free pass went to Hewitt-Trussville right fielder Tate Mosely to start the fourth inning. Mosely then stole second and reached third on a fielding error. Catcher Taylor Beshears made Hillcrest pay for their miscues, plating Mosely with a sacrifice fly to even the contest at 1-1 going into the bottom of the fourth.
However, that was the only run the Huskies could muster. They went down in order in the top-half of the fifth before Crocker ended things with one swing of the bat.
“I wish we produced a little more offense, but we’re just going to grow and learn right now and get ready for the next one,” Johns said.
The coach got her wish in Game 2 of the tournament, which directly followed the opener. Her lineup sent five runs across and defeated Chelsea 5-4.