MONTGOMERY, Ala. – OK, so this tournament just got interesting.
Maryville finally found its way past the Belhaven softball behemoth that entered Thursday's action 34-4 and ranked No. 6 in the country. More relevant for the Scots, MC was 0-6 all-time against the Blazers, including 5-1 and 5-0 defeats on home turf a little less than three weeks ago.
But this was Maryville's day. It took 13 innings with the league's two best hurlers going pitch-for-pitch before the Scots prevailed 6-3 in thrilling fashion in the quarterfinal round of the Collegiate Conference of the South Tournament.
On the other side of the bracket, Piedmont decked No. 9 Huntingdon 3-1. Which means it's the Scots and the Lions in Friday's undefeated semifinal round game at 11 a.m. Central time, with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship round.
To win a 13-inning game, teams get big plays in big moments up and down the lineup, and that certainly was the case Thursday. But double-tip of the cap for sure to third baseman
Brecca Williams and pitcher
Megan Ackerman.
No. 8 Was Great
Williams on the day did the following:
- Leadoff double and a run scored for a 1-0 Scots advantage;
- Flyout;
- Leadoff single and run scored in the sixth, pulling MC within 3-2;
- Game-tying single with two outs in the seventh, 3-3;
- Two-out single in the ninth that nearly put the Scots in front (perfect throw by the Blazers right fielder nailed Cierra Hudson at the plate);
- Groundout;
- And, finally, a sizzling double down the third base line that scored all three Maryville baserunners and handed the Scots their first victory over Belhaven.
Ackerman was just as spectacular. She and Belhaven's Kennedy Carruth lived up to their billing as All-CCS First Team selections. Both went the distance, with Ackerman allowing 12 hits and Carruth 13. Ackerman gave up three runs, all earned, walked three and struck out four. Carruth gave up six runs, all earned, walked four and struck out eight.
Eight-Inning Shutout – Over the Final Eight Innings!
After Belhaven scored in the fifth to take a 3-1 lead, Ackerman pitched an eight-inning shutout. That's right, she pitched an eight-inning shutout against the No. 6 team in the country AFTER pitching five innings. Over those final eight innings, Belhaven managed just six hits.
The only time they put a runner as far as third after the fifth inning was in the 12th, and that was aided by a Scots error. Ackerman retired the threat on a groundout, which set the stage for Maryville's heroics in the lucky 13th.
"Megan and the entire team refused to lose today," Maryville head coach
Jill Moore said. "She had more grit today than she's ever had. It got to a point where I just knew we were going to win.
"Even when we were behind, we didn't get down for a second, and I'm talking all 20 players. That was the difference. I knew, they knew, we were never out of it. We refused to lose."
Clark Triple Sparks Winning Rally
Maryville in that winning 13th frame struck suddenly, with
Micayla Clark leading off with a triple to right. After an
Ava Whitmire walk and a popout, Hudson bunted for a single to load the bases. That's when Williams capped her 5-for-7 afternoon with that bounding ball down the third-base line as Maryville players windmilled around the bases.
The four RBIs for Williams were a season high. And she fielded a season-high 11 chances flawlessly, with six putouts and five assists.
"Every single person was all in and we just kept fighting and throwing punches," Moore said. "And when it came to her moment, Brecca was ready and I couldn't be happier for her."
Emily Hill kept her bat smoking with a 3-for-6 showing and a huge RBI-single in the sixth that pulled the Scots within 3-2. The senior first baseman has hit safely in 18 of her last 19 games, batting .519 over that stretch. Hudson was 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored.
Unofficially, Ackerman made 198 pitches and Carruth 182. Maryville's senior hurler improved to 18-4 on the season, while Carruth suffered her first loss to a league foe since falling 3-1 to Huntingdon on this same field more than a year ago. She is now 19-2.
The Scots improved to 31-11, matching the win total from the 2018 Maryville team that finished 31-14.
The winner of Friday's Maryville-Piedmont game advances to Saturday's championship round. The loser plays again Friday at 5 p.m. Central time.
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
| Opening Rounds | Wednesday, May 1 |
| Time: 11:00 am |
Game 1 |
No. 4 (Piedmont), 8 v. No. 5 (LaGrange), 7 |
Host: Huntingdon |
Watch Live |
| Time: 3:00 pm |
Game 2 |
No. 3 (Maryville), 9 v. No. 6 (Agnes Scott), 1 |
Host: Huntingdon
Live Stats |
| Quarterfinals | Thursday, May 2, 2024 |
| Time: 10:00 am |
Game 3 |
No. 1 (Huntingdon), 1 v. Piedmont, 3 |
Host: Huntingdon |
Watch Live |
| Time: 1:00 pm |
Game 4 |
No. 2 (Belhaven), 3 v. Maryville, 6 |
Host: Huntingdon
Live Stats |
| Time: 4:00 pm |
Game 5 |
Agnes Scott, 2 v. Huntingdon, 10 |
Host: Huntingdon |
Watch Live |
| Time: 7:00 pm |
Game 6 |
LaGrange v. Belhaven |
Host: Huntingdon |
| Semifinals | Friday, May 3, 2024 |
| Time: 11:00 am |
Game 7 |
Piedmont v. Maryville |
Host: Huntingdon |
Watch Live |
| Time: 2:00 pm |
Game 8 |
Huntingdon v. Winner of Game 6 |
Host: Huntingdon |
| Time: 5:00 pm |
Game 9 |
Loser of Game 7 v. Winner of Game 8 |
Host: Huntingdon |
| Finals | Saturday, May 4, 2024 |
| 12:00 pm |
Game 10 |
CHAMPIONSHIP: Winner of Game 7 v. Winner of Game 9 |
Host: Huntingdon |
Watch Live |
| 3:00 pm |
Game 11 |
If Necessary Game |
Host: Huntingdon |
