Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic (KOC) is the proud sponsor of 5Star Preps 2025 Spring Sports Postseason Coverage.
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — The scouting report on Halle Bailey might not mention “power hitter” much. But that doesn’t mean she can’t go yard.
Bailey, a junior and University of Tennessee commit, showed that Wednesday night.
The diminutive leadoff hitter for the Alcoa softball team popped the third pitch of the game over the centerfield fence, promptly setting the tone for the Lady Tornadoes in their 18-0 Class 2A state tournament second-round win over Watertown.
Alcoa (39-6) is seeking its first state title since its championship in 2022.
The Lady Tornadoes, since they won both of their games Wednesday, will have to be beaten twice Thursday to not reach the championship round Friday.
Alcoa opened the tournament with a 6-5 win Wednesday morning against Forrest.
The Lady Tornadoes will play at 11 a.m. Central time Thursday against the winner of the 9 a.m. game between Watertown and Forrest.
“We’ve said all season that our biggest opponent is ourselves,” Alcoa coach Sarah Fekete Bailey said. “So we just have to come and take care of business.”
Wednesday ended up being a home-run fest, of sorts, for Alcoa.
Maddy Stewart’s seventh-inning blast against Forrest lifted the Lady Ts to a win to start their Wednesday.
That power surge carried into the second game for Alcoa, as Bailey led off with her solo shot — her second homer of the year.
“Yeah. On a slap,” quipped Coach Bailey, Halle’s mother, about Halle’s homer.
“It just sets the tone. All season, she gets on and Tori (Hahn) hits her in. Tori probably leads the nation in RBIs. But, I think, we had six or seven home runs in that game. If we keep hitting like that, we’re going to be hard to beat.”
Tori Hahn, a sophomore catcher for Alcoa, followed suit, and her first-inning solo homer made it 2-0 Alcoa just two batters into the contest.
Hahn added another homer in the fourth, a two-run bomb to make it 11-0. Kara Pitts added a solo homer to left shortly after Hahn’s shot.
But that wasn’t all. Alcoa’s Grayson Burgess hit a three-run blast in the third inning to push the score to 9-0. And Makenna McCarter knocked out a two-run homer in the fifth.
All told, Alcoa logged six home runs against Watertown (19-13).
Wednesday’s success felt much better for Alcoa, which went 0-2 at the 2023 state tournament and 1-2 at last year’s state tournament.
“Last year, I felt like it just wasn’t our year,” said Bailey. “We hit the ball and out-hit almost every single team that we played. We just hit it right at people. Just wasn’t our year. Probably was one of the most talented teams I’ve ever coached — other than this team.”
2025 SPRING FLING GALLERY (Day Two, May 21) – powered by KOC: Alcoa, Oakdale, Kingston softball