By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
OXFORD — With runners on the corners and no outs, Springville’s infield had no choice but to play in during the bottom of the seventh inning against Calera with the score knotted at one run apiece. A soft bloop single between shortstop and center field by Calera’s Issy Overton drove in the winning run in a tightly contested 2-1 game in the elimination bracket of the AHSAA 6A playoffs.
The loss ends Springville’s run in the tournament.
Springville struck out six, with a strong combined pitching effort from starter Bella Bullington and reliever Shelby Hathcock.
Calera’s Kate Townley made one mistake over the course of seven innings: she pitched to the Tiger’s Makalyn Kyser, who launched a bomb over the wall in straightaway center field to stake Springville to a 1-0 lead.
Over the course of the next two innings, it looked like that one run would be enough. Instead, the Eagles’ Jordan Douglas doubled on the first at-bat of the seventh and motored around to score when Keara Hall singled to right field. That tied the game at 1-1, and then Kayla Butler bunted and reached on an error.
Overton then stepped in to knock the game-winning hit.
Hathcock took the loss for the Tigers. She had come on in relief of Bullington after the fifth inning, but the tying run caused Springville coach John Paul Taruc to put Bullington back into the game for the final batters. Bullington pitched five innings and allowed two hits, striking out five and walking one. Hathcock allowed two runs on two hits — only one run earned.
The loss moves the Tigers to 30-15 on the season, one year removed from finishing as the state runner-up in 6A.
Kyser was 2-for-4 from the plate, with an RBI and scored. Tori Barnes was 2-for-3 with a walk, while Layla Bradshaw was 1-for-3 and Leah Bowden was 1-for-2 with a walk.