Despite gamely battling through a hot and grueling day of fast-pitch softball, the Indianola Academy Lady Colonels saw their 2017 season come to an end in last Saturday’s North AAA State Tournament in Batesville.
Required to play three consecutive games which all began within a five-hour time frame, the Lady Colonels moved their record to a final 17-10 mark.
The very young IA squad, which has zero seniors on its roster and was playing without two injured year-long starters, began their impressive playoff competition with a 7-1 decision over Winston Academy of Louisville.
Opening their game at the plate with four consecutive hits which plated two runs, the Lady Colonels then increased their lead to a 7-0 mark by the third frame.
Meanwhile, pitcher Katie Ann Page would not see a five-hit shut-out bid disappear until the top of the seventh inning.
Page, whose grittiness would ultimately allow the freshman to pitch 15.3 consecutive innings in this tournament, would strike out three Lady Patriots and walk only one batter.
At the plate, IA’s nine-hit attack was led by Mary Linton Davis’ triple and single, Ella Servadio’s pair of singles, Mallory Price’s solo home run to right center field, and Anna Berry Stevens’ double to left center field.
After the win, the Lady Colonels quickly returned to the field to face Leake Academy of Madden.
A near-habitual contender for softball state championships, Leake Academy spotted the Lady Colonels a 1-0 lead in the first inning before answering in their half with four hits and four runs.
Although the Lady Colonels closed their deficit to a 4-3 margin after three innings of play, Leake Academy moved the score to a final 7-3 margin by plating three runs with three hits in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Page’s complete game performance yielded 11 hits to the potent Leake Academy lineup. The righthander would strike out two batters, issue two walks, and hit one batter.
At the plate, IA was limited to five hits with Davis’ double and single leading the way. While a Jill Roberts single also plated a pair of runs, a Servadio single sent another run across the plate.
In what proved to be their final game of the season, a 7-6 loss to Lee Academy of Clarksdale, the Lady Colonels overcame a 5-0 deficit after two innings to knot the game at five runs apiece by the end of the fourth frame.
With Mattie Beth Williamson igniting a third inning rally with her first of two successful bunt singles, the Lady Colonels would follow with four additional singles along with a Lee Academy error to send four runs across the plate.
While Presley Scott Jackson drove two runs across the plate in this big inning with her bases loaded single, RBI were also received from Davis and Price.
The Lady Colonels continued to battle back as they tied the game at five in the fourth frame with a rally started by another Williamson bunt single.
The freshman would then move to third base following a pair of singles from Stevens and Servadio while an RBI sacrifice fly to center field from Roberts would plate Williamson with the game-tying run.
The Fillies responded however, in the top of the seventh inning with back-to-back doubles and a single to a take a 7-5 lead which left IA with one at-bat remaining to stay alive.
However, it was not to be as the IA squad recorded their final run of the season when Page’s long at bat resulted in a two-out, bases loaded walk by the Fillies’ pitcher.
Despite all their heroics, the Lady Colonels saw their season end with a bases-loaded ground out and Lee Academy escaped with their one run victory.
In the pitcher’s circle, Page started her third game of the day and went 1.3 innings allowing seven hits and five runs with one base on balls.
Roberts came to the circle in relief and held the Fillies scoreless until that final inning. The sophomore would only give up five hits during the course of her over five innings of work.
At the plate, the Lady Colonels struck for a dozen hits against the Lee Academy pitcher. This attack was led Price’s by three singles as well a pair of singles apiece from Jackson, Servadio, Stevens, and Williamson.
