By Matthew Lutey
MURFREESBORO — Alcoa softball can’t seem to get away from back-to-back state champion Liberty Creek.
Despite the move up from Class 2A to 3A, the Lady Tornadoes began state tournament play on Tuesday against the very same Liberty Creek team it ended against in the state championship game last season.
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Both ended in Alcoa losses, with Tuesday’s final 9-3.
Alcoa (39-3) takes on David Crockett (31-15) on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Central time in an elimination game.
The Lady Tornadoes were done in by a five-run fifth inning for Liberty Creek (24-7-1) that transformed a 2-2 tie into a 7-2 deficit.
Alcoa retired two of the first three batters in the inning without allowing a run, but then surrendered five straight hits.
On the bright side for Alcoa — especially if these teams match up again — the Lady Tornadoes made star Liberty Creek pitcher Kaylor West work.
West, also the winning pitcher in the championship game last season, threw 153 pitches in a game that took nearly three hours to complete.
“That was part of the gameplan,” Alcoa coach Sarah Fekete Bailey said.
“We played them last year in the championship game. We knew how she was going to throw to our hitters, we’ve watched a lot of video, we knew how she was going to throw to us. We knew that we needed to look for pitches to hit.
“ … I think she threw 163 (153) pitches, that’s a lot of pitches in one ballgame, even for a softball pitcher. And she’s got to turn around and throw potentially tomorrow or the next day, that’s still not a ton of rest, and hopefully when we see them again she’s a little bit more tired than the first time we saw her.”
The Western Kentucky commitment was already up to 41 pitches after the first inning that saw Alcoa take a 2-1 lead via a two-run home run from Grayson Burgess.
Tennessee commitment Halle Bailey and Da’Ja Casby had two hits apiece for Alcoa.
After the loss, Sarah Bailey was quick to remind her team of a defeat to Powell in April as part of the Gibbs Invitational. The Lady Tornadoes went on to win five games and were the champions of the weekend tournament.
“That’s why we play in so many tournaments, so we get that experience.”
Bailey also said she expects the negative energy from the loss to be shed as soon as her players get on the bus, because they’re not ready for the season to end.
“I love being around these kids and they love each other,” Bailey said.
“They can go pout with their parents for just a second, but as soon as they get on the bus, it’s gone. And you’ve got to be ready to enjoy the rest of the tournament, you’re here with your friends, and be ready to play tomorrow.
“You can’t do anything about this game now, we’ve got to focus on our opponent tomorrow and get ready to win.”