South Lenoir Seniors Deliver Clutch Hits in Rivalry Game Victory
In a high-stakes rivalry game filled with emotion, the South Lenoir Blue Devils edged out the North Lenoir Hawks 6-5 on Senior Night, securing second place in the conference standings. The seniors rose to the occasion, delivering big hits and game-changing moments in a contest with playoff implications.
With a 10-6 overall record and an 8-3 conference record, South Lenoir celebrated their Senior Night by extending their 20-game winning streak the Hawks. The seniors stepped up in this critical game, as Gracie Howard hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, bringing tears to her eyes as she rounded third base. Kiley Smith followed up with a crucial triple, driving in a run to tie the game at 5-5. Then, senior Makayla Sasnett shot a line drive up the middle to score Smith and take the lead 6-5.
South Lenoir head coach Madison Harvey praised the Hawks' performance, saying, "I knew coming into the game coach Bobby (Hatcher) was going to have the Hawks ready. They played hard; they looked like a new team."
Reflecting on the game-winning moment, Sasnett said, "That's the moment that I wanted to be in; that's what this is made for. I knew I could do it. I was telling myself to just stay within myself, and it would work, and it did."
Sophomore pitcher Callie Tyndall threw a complete game for South Lenoir, giving up 11 hits, five runs, and striking out 12 batters.
Coach Harvey was impressed with her performance, saying, "That is the best I have ever seen Callie throw; I could not be more proud of her." Tyndall added, "I am really proud of myself; we were down 5-1, and I knew that's not how the seniors wanted to end the game against our rival team. I knew I had to step up and pitch to the best of my ability."
North Lenoir's coach Bobby Hatcher commended his team's effort, stating, "Very, very proud of these girls; I just told them that in the huddle. After the first game, we played very badly; they could have easily come out here and rolled over, but they came out and fought. A couple of plays go our way, and it's a different game. South Lenoir is a good softball team; we tip our hat to them."
Both teams will be in the playoffs next week as the brackets will be released this weekend.
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