Abbie Buckner of the Gibbs Eagles on Monday, April 26, 2021, in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Parker)
By MIKE BLACKERBY
MURFREESBORO — The final score suggested otherwise, but Gibbs held its own for six innings Wednesday against defending state Class AA softball champion Forrest.
A five-run uprising in the top of the ninth gave the powerhouse Lady Rockets (28-3-1) a deceptive 10-2 win over the Lady Eagles.
Gibbs coach Carol Mitchell is hardly an advocate of moral victories, but she liked her team’s effort against the talented and favored Lady Rockets.
“I was pleased with the way we played,” said Mitchell.
“Our goal is to see them (Forrest) again. We want to put ourselves in a position where we’re playing on Friday afternoon.”
That will take some doing.
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The Lady Eagles (30-12) have to win twice Thursday to stay alive and advance to Friday’s finals round.
Gibbs takes on Sequatchie County (31-8) at 11:30 a.m. Central time. A win vaults the Lady Eagles into another elimination game at 4.
Mitchell said the goal going in was to slow down Forrest’s hard-hitting lineup at the top of the order.
That didn’t materialize as the Nos. 1 through 3 batters combined to go 8 for 12.
No. 2 hitter Laura Mealer was 3 of 4 with four RBIs.
Lead-off batter Jenna Blanton went 3 for 4.
Karley Daughrity, the No. 3 hitter, was 2 for 4.
All told, the Lady Rockets banged out 14 hits off Gibbs pitcher Abbie Buckner.
“Our goal was to keep their first and third batters in check — and we did not,” said Mitchell.
On the flip side, Forrest pitcher Ashley Milligan allowed just three hits in seven innings. She fanned eight and walked two.
“The girl is a good pitcher — she kept us off balance,” said Mitchell.
Shelby Blake led Gibbs at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a triple.
She scored in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Dakota Large.
Gibbs, which also played well in the field, scored its other run in the fourth inning on a solo homer by Addison Merritt.
Mitchell said the first six innings against Forrest should give her team confidence moving forward.
“It was 5-2 going into the last inning and I felt like we didn’t quit,” she said.
“We didn’t just give up.”