Pleasant Home finishes in third place in Class 1A

MONTGOMERY — Pleasant Home delivered extra-inning magic twice Saturday, but the Speake Lady Bobcats gave the Lady Eagles no such chance in the losers’ bracket finals of the Class 1A State Tournament at Lagoon Park.

Speake’s Sarah Bolan smacked a three-run homer in the first inning and the Bobcats kept rolling, taking a 9-2 decision to eliminate Pleasant Home a game short of the finals.

Earlier in the day, Pleasant Home won in eight innings, 2-1 over rival Kinston, and in nine innings, 2-0 over Spring Garden.

The effort helped the Lady Eagles (33-12) finish third in the state.

“We can walk away with our heads up,” Pleasant Home head coach Jimmy Reeves said. “I am proud of the girls. It has been a great year.”

Speake, which is consolidating with Lawrence County next year, advanced to the championship and eventually won it, beating South Lamar two straight games. It was the last sporting event in the school’s history.

“They deserve it,” Reeves said. “They are closing the school, so they are playing with a lot of emotion. They have a good team, a good program and nice folks. My hat’s off to them.

“It was a case of us running out of gas and them being ready to do something special.”

Erin Byrd and Megan Cook earned all-tournament honors for Pleasant Home.

Kinston, the Wiregrass’ other entrant in Class 1A, finished the tournament with a 1-2 record after the loss to Pleasant Home. The Lady Dawgs closed out the season 32-18.

Speake 9, Pleasant Home 2: Ariel Gunter drove in both runs with run-scoring hits.

Pleasant Home 2, Spring Garden 0 (9 innings): The Eagles cashed in on a couple of errors to score the game’s only runs.

Erin Byrd singled to open the inning, moved to third on two errors and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Kayla Woods. Woods later scored on a two-out error.

Brentin Fuller pitched a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts for Pleasant Home. She had a no-hitter through six innings.

Megan Cook led Pleasant Home with three hits.

Pleasant Home 2, Kinston 1 (8 innings): Erin Byrd lofted a bloop single over the shortstop to score Kaitlin Brookshire in the bottom of the eighth for the win.

The game was the ninth meeting this year between the area rivals. Pleasant Home won six of the games.

“I don’t think either one of us expected it to be any different than what it ended up being — close and down to the last inning,” Kinston head coach Janie Wiggins said.

“It was an emotional game,” Pleasant Home’s Reeves said. “We have such a fierce rivalry with them. Winning that made our year.”

Brookshire opened Pleasant Home’s eighth with a walk and moved up to second on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Byrd stepped to the plate.

It appeared she was hit by a pitch, but umpires ruled it hit the bat for a foul ball. Reeves said he thought it was catcher’s interference. In any event, she had to face more pitching.

One pitch later, Byrd blooped her single over the shortstop and Brookshire came racing around to score the game winner.

“Erin has come through all year,” Reeves said. “She is a clutch hitter.”

“It was just a bloop over the shortstop, there was nothing you could do about it,” Wiggins said.

The bunting game sparked Pleasant Home to a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Byrd reached on a bunt in front of the plate — Pleasant Home’s first runner of the game after Kinston pitcher Sara Mock retired the first nine in order.

Kayla Woods then sacrificed Byrd to second on a bunt, then a wild pitch moved Byrd to third. Kati Reeves then laid down another bunt in front of the plate and Mock picked it up but fired too late to the plate to get Byrd, who scored.

Kinston tied it in the sixth. Bethany Holley singled to left and was lifted for a courtesy runner in Chelbie Fuller. Fuller moved to second on a ground out to first by Tasha Jones.

Emily Mock then grounded out to first. Pleasant Home first baseman Gunter fired to third to try and get Fuller, but the throw was bad, going to the fence, and Fuller came racing in to score.

Both Pleasant Home’s Gina Davis and Kinston’s Mock were solid in the circle. Davis allowed only three hits and struck out seven. Mock also gave up only three hits and struck out nine.

Amanda Crohn, Holley and Macie Sanders had the Kinston hits.

“We had opportunities,” Wiggins said. “Their pitcher was nervous early and we have several opportunities. We could have had easily had five runs by the third inning, but we didn’t take advantage of that.”

Erin Byrd had two of the three Eagle hits.