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BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — Alcoa sophomore Grayson Burgess occupied the No. 8 spot Thursday in a loaded Lady Tornadoes’ batting lineup, yet she showed why she may just wield the hottest bat on the team this week.
The sophomore went 2 for 3 with four RBIs, as Alcoa eliminated Forrest 7-0 in a Class 2A state semifinal.
Burgess went 3 for 3 with a homer and 5 RBIs in Alcoa’s game Wednesday night.
“Grayson is savage. You never have to wonder what she’s thinking,” Alcoa coach Sarah Fekete Bailey said. “She always shows up in the big moments. Always.
“She’s got one of the hottest bats on the team. And when she’s hot, it’s hard to pitch around her.”
Alcoa (40-6) will take on Liberty Creek (31-2) in the 2A state title game at 5:30 p.m. Central time Friday at MTSU.
Liberty Creek is the defending 2A state champion.
The Lady Tornadoes will be eyeing a second state title to add to the one they captured in 2022.
“I think we’ve prepared them really well to be in that moment. We played Liberty Creek last year (at state). They all play travel ball together,” Bailey said. “They’re all pretty familiar.
“It’s going to be the team that makes the least amount of errors and capitalizes on opportunities (that will win). I’m just excited for them to come out and have the opportunity to play for a state championship.”
Alcoa took command of the state semifinal Thursday morning in the early innings. Tori Hahn got a fielder’s choice RBI in the first, scoring Halle Bailey — who had singled and then stolen second.
Grayson Burgess logged an RBI-single, with two outs, to centerfield in the second inning to give Alcoa a 2-0 advantage.
Maddy Stewart’s RBI-single to center with two outs in the third gave even more run support to veteran pitcher Gabby Burkhart.
But just to be sure, Burkhart threw in an RBI-single in the third for herself to bump the lead to 4-0.
As a freshman in 2022, Burkhart pitched in Alcoa’s title-game win over Forrest. So she knows that the more runs the better against an accomplished program like Forrest — which has four state titles and six runner-up finishes.
“It’s always important to score runs. Obviously you can’t win if you don’t score. I’m just trying to do everything I can to help the team win,” Burkhart said.
Burgess followed Burkhart’s RBI with a bases-clearing double to center that gave the Lady Tornadoes a 7-0 lead.
Burkhart kept Forrest hemmed up all day, firing a complete-game, three-hitter. Her fourth-and-final strikeout of the game ended a Forrest scoring threat in the bottom of the seventh to punctuate the win.
“She’s learned to trust herself, especially throughout her senior year,” Bailey said. “I’m just so proud of these seniors, Gabby especially, for giving themselves an opportunity to play for a state championship. People don’t realize how hard that is.
“Gabby has worked her butt off and has worked through some hard things her sophomore and junior years. I’m so proud of her to have that kind of a ballgame (today). She was dealing out the whole time.”