NEW MARKET — Southmont had a come-from-behind win Wednesday to claim the 2A sectional championship. The Mounties scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to bring home the trophy with a 3-1 victory over South Putnam.
Mountie coach Dan Taylor said his team would just not quit.
“Our players just kept fighting and refused to lose,” Taylor said.
In the deciding final inning, the Mounties got big hits from Kaydence Lewin and MaKinzie Wood. Kaylee Turner drove in the tying run. Kenzie Clate then coaxed a walk to load the bases followed by Emily Simpson driving in a run when she got hit by a pitch for the final score.
The Eagles showed respect to Mountie Ella Barry by intentionally walking her at all of her four at-bats.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, South Putnam had the tying run on base with one out. But Barry, the Mountie ace, struck out the final two batters sending the Mounties into a victory celebration.
Barry had a great tournament. The sophomore pitched all 21 tourney innings and only allowed two runs. In the championship game Barry gave up just three hits, struck out eight and surrendered one walk. Of her 85 pitches, 62 were strikes.
Taylor said the tournament was not easy to win, but his team played well.
“It was a tough road, but our players just wouldn’t quit,” Taylor said.
As the Mounties were celebrating it was a different story on the South Putnam sideline. The game marked the third straight loss in a sectional championship game for the Eagles.
“It seems like we walk out there in that same spot every year, talk about the same thing and watch each senior group leave the way that we’ve done,” South Putnam head coach Kenny Wells said. “I couldn’t be prouder of these girls getting to three championships in a row.”
Southmont (18-5) will play at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Monrovia in a one-game regional. Monrovia (14-14) defeated Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter 12-2 to advance to the regional.
Trent Scott of the Greencastle Banner Graphic contributed to this story.
