Lambert High School

Longhorns' season ends against Sequoyah

Johns Creek drops War Eagles into losers bracket

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By Phil Ervin

phil.ervin@forsythnews.com

WOODSTOCK — A certain amount of irony presented itself after both Forsyth County softball teams in the Region 7-AAAA tournament fell by a run each.

Sequoyah’s 4-3 win over Lambert ended the Longhorns’ season Monday at Twin Creeks Softball Complex. South Forsyth is still alive after a 7-6, eight-inning defeat at the hands of Johns Creek earlier in the day.

Yet as the teams left the field after their games, the postgame body language and comments suggested Lambert (15-13) was the more content group.

“I’m really happy and sad at the same time,” said a smiling Longhorns first baseman Shelby Hegi. “We definitely fight. We didn’t give up, and even though we didn’t make it to state, I think we ended really well.”

Said South coach Ronnie Davis: “We can’t expect to win when we play defense the way we did tonight. We can’t even expect to be in it.”

For the second time in less than a week, the War Eagles (13-16) failed to bring home a potential playoff berth-clinching run from third base. With the game tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh and Frankie Catinella standing 60 feet from home plate, designated player Caitlyn Reeves drilled a line drive to the left center-field gap.

Center fielder Courtney Jacobs sprinted to her right, laid out and made a spectacular diving catch to end the inning. The ball stuck halfway out of the web her glove as she raised it triumphantly and sent the game to extra frames.

A two-run single to left center moments later by Gladiators cleanup hitter Victoria Swanson (2-for-4, 4 RBI) accounted for the final score. Courtney Jacobs had reached to lead off the eighth on one of three Megan Rud errors at third base, and Haley Cutcliff was automatically placed on second per extra-inning rules.

South got one run back in the bottom of the eighth via its automatic runner when Amanda Rutkowski (3-for-4, 4 RBI, HR, 2 2B) smashed a double to the center-field wall, but Rachel Myers popped out with runners at first and second to end the game.

“It’s frustrating, but we played with what we came with today and some days it’s not the best, and some days it’s over-the-top amazing,” said Rutkowski, whose two-run shot over the left field wall in the first gave South a 3-1 lead. “Today maybe wasn’t our day, but we’re going to come back Wednesday and try to keep it going.”

The War Eagles committed six errors behind pitcher Kaylyn Young (7 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 6 K), but things could have been much worse.

Johns Creek stranded 10 runners in scoring position. Left fielder Diana Ruth (4-for-5) hit four singles but produced just one RBI and did not score a run.

“Everybody goes through a slump [defensively],” Davis said. “Playing your best ball at the right time is not just offensively, but defensively as well.

“We’ve still got a chance at it. There are some teams that don’t even have a shot at it, so we’re lucky to still be able to play another game.”

Johns Creek is now assured a spot in the state tournament and awaits the winner of tonight’s 4 p.m. contest between South and Sequoyah. The Gladiators will earn the region’s No. 3 seed unless the War Eagles/Chiefs victor beats Johns Creek twice.

As South battled to remain undefeated in tournament play after barely missing out on the region championship series in a loss to Creekview last week, a group of faces familiar to the War Eagles showed up and watched the last couple innings.

Lambert, which has many former South students that grew up playing with or against current War Eagles, was fresh off a 5-4 elimination game victory over Chattahoochee.

A third contest this season between the county rivals with a state playoff berth on the line would’ve added plenty of intrigue to an already storied region tournament, but Sequoyah had other plans.

“We’re disappointed,” Horns coach Dana Corr said, “but we are so proud of the girls. They fought so hard.”

The Chiefs scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning on Liz Prance’s (2-for-3, RBI) RBI single and Sophia Andietta’s sacrifice fly to right center field to take a 4-2 lead.

Lambert’s Jenny Barto led off the seventh with a triple to right center and scored on Sydnie Smith’s groundout to first, but Sequoyah hurler Valery Box (6 H, 2 ER, 4 K, HB) struck out Amanda Maxfield to end the game — and Lambert’s third season since the school opened in 2009.

Horns starter Megan Walz faced the minimum in each of the last three frames she pitched and allowed just four hits total, but four successful sacrifice plays helped push the Chiefs over the top.

“We met all our goals we wanted to this season,” Corr said. “We’re just so happy where the program’s going. Our seniors … have helped set a tremendous foundation.”

Lambert posted the first winning season in school history and has doubled its previous victory total in each year of its existence. Hegi, Auburn Kemmerer and Morgan Merriman suited up in Lambert uniforms for the last time Monday, but the vast majority of starting Longhorns return next season.

“I’m really honored to be part of the foundation,” Hegi said. “I just hope it builds the success of the softball team in the long run.”

The region tourney began Saturday, with Lambert beating Sequoyah 4-3 before falling 5-1 to South.  The War Eagles defeated Cass 7-6 in their first-round game.

Chattahoochee played its way into the tournament by beating Forsyth Central 7-3 last Thursday. The Bulldogs finished winless in region play and dropped their final 10 straight contests.

Northwest Whitfield and Creekview — which beat out South for first in subregion 7B on a third tiebreaker — played a best-of-three series for the region’s top state playoff slot. The Bruins and Grizzlies split Saturday’s doubleheader, but Northwest won Monday’s rubber match 3-2 after going undefeated in regular season region play.

Follow Phil Ervin on Twitter @PhilErvin_FCN