Assistant coach Dayna Carter’s King’s Academy Lions fell 7-6 to Chattanooga Christian in the TSSAA Division II Class A softball state tournament in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Wednesday, May 22, 2019. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — The King’s Academy softball team did what it had to do Thursday to get into position for a third state title in four years.
The task at hand on the day was two wins: one over Friendship Christian in the morning at Starplex and then one against winners bracket winner Chattanooga Christian.
The Lady Lions checked off both to-do items.
TKA knocked off Friendship Christian, 8-6, to start the day and then capped it off with a dominant 17-2 showing over Chattanooga Christian.
The latter victory forced the if-necessary game with Chattanooga Christian, meaning if TKA beats Chattanooga Christian at 11:30 a.m. Central time on Friday then TKA (37-6) is the Division II-A state champion.
The Lady Lions clinched their first win Thursday in the sixth inning, scoring two runs to go ahead 8-4. Senior shortstop Haydyn Jenkins drove in the two runs with a double, scoring Regan Weekly and Kaylan Cole.
Jenkins went 2-for-4 with two runs to pace TKA. She added another 2-for-4 performance in the 17-2 win over Chattanooga Christian.
TKA erupted for 13 runs in the first inning. Weekly hit a two-run homer in the first to trigger the rout. K.J. Ammons, a freshman, hit a two-run double and a three-run home run. She finished with those five RBIs.
Weekly went 2-for-4 in the second game with five RBIs, as well.
GIBBS CHECKS OUT
Gibbs found itself trying to fight out of the losers bracket Thursday. It took a 2-0 lead on Breanna Bumgardner’s two-run double in the fourth inning against Creek Wood.
But Creek Wood plated one in the fifth and two in the sixth to eliminate the Lady Eagles.
Gibbs (42-11) was in search of state title No. 11 but surrendered two RBI-singles to Creek Wood. Bumgardner singled with one out in the seventh, but Creek Wood produced to pop outs to secure the win.