By Calen VanNess (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
When the five seniors for the Hartville Lady Eagles entered the softball season, they knew it was their last chance to bring home another district championship. When they got the chance on Friday night in the Class 2 – District 1 championship game against the host team Ava Lady Bears (9-12), they made sure that they made the most of their opportunity.
Timely hitting, strong pitching, and capitalizing on Ava’s mistakes allowed the Lady Eagles (12-12) to defeat the Lady Bears 8-5 and win the district title for the third time in four years.
Ava struck early in the first inning on an RBI from freshman Elizabeth Jelowdar and senior Maci Jones, but Hartville senior Brooke Smith answered with a one-out, three-run double in the second inning that put the Lady Eagles ahead 4-2. Ava was never able to get any closer, however, thanks to a strong performance in the circle by Smith who struck out six batters in the game.
It was the second time the two teams battled, and Hartville head coach Mike Percival knew coming into the game that his team could win if they executed the way he knew they could.
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“We didn’t play very well the first time we played them, and we were right there with them and got beat 5-3,” said Percival. “We just felt like if we could come in and fix some things we did wrong before and play a little better, we thought we would have a good chance [against them].”
Although Smith may have ended up with the win, country-singing duo Florida Georgia Line may have unknowingly assisted with the victory.
After the Lady Eagles survived a late scare by Houston in the semifinal match, the Lady Bears put a rally of their own together in the sixth inning and pushed across three runs to cut the deficit to 8-5. With the bases loaded and one out, Percival walked to the circle and had a meeting with his pitcher. The topic was not about strategy. Instead, it was about country music.
“I asked her who her favorite band was,” said Percival.
The answer: Florida Georgia Line.
“The other team got in my head, and I lost my focus,” said Smith. “Coach came out there and told me to think about my favorite band, and I thought of Florida Georgia Line, so that’s when I got back into it. I started throwing strikes after that. When I don’t think about the game, I tend to play better and stay focused.”
Smith got the next Ava batter to ground out to her for a force play at home, and then promptly struck out the next batter to end the inning and any chance of a comeback by the Lady Bears.
Smith was excited to win another district title as a senior and knew she could not have done it without her teammates.
“It feels pretty amazing,” said Smith. “We didn’t win it last year, but I won it my freshman and sophomore years. It feels good to be back out here again playing my game and feeling confident in the team I’ve got behind me.”
Percival praised his team for not giving up when Ava pounced quickly.
“We got down early, but the girls were resilient and came back and had that big inning. From then on, it was hold on,” said Percival.
For the Lady Eagles, Mallory Hardcastle finished the contest with two hits and two RBI. Freshman Grace Culver ended the game with three hits and one RBI, and Cheyenne Mullenix also drove in a run.
The Lady Bears saw RBI from sophomore Kiaunna Snow (2), sophomore Jada Gunter (1), Jones (1), and Jelowdar (1).
The Lady Eagles ended the night with RBI from Smith (3), senior Mallory Hardcastle (2), and senior Cheyenne Mullenix (1).
The Lady Eagles will now travel to Willow Springs to take on the Bears on October 12 to battle for a spot in the Class 2 quarterfinals.
Hartville 8, Ava 5
Hartville 040 202 0–8
Ava 200 102 0–5
