Last-minute rally comes up short for Philadelphia

By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Oct. 24, 2004
JACKSON Philadelphia High School's slow-pitch softball team's offense got rolling too late on Saturday.
Down by a game and trailing 4-0 in the sixth inning of the second game in the Class 2A State championship series, the Lady Tornadoes rallied for four runs off five hits to tie their elimination game against the Hamilton High School Lady Lions.
Two scoreless innings followed and Hamilton (28-8) put the series away scoring once in the top of the ninth to claim the 2A title with wins of 5-4 in the second game and 2-1 in the first game. The series was best of three.
The Lady Tornadoes recorded 18 hits in the two games, with 12 of the hits coming in the elimination game. The Lady Lions notched 15 hits over the two games, but they were helped by errors.
Philadelphia committed four errors on Saturday, with three of the fielding miscues leading to runs for Hamilton.
In the opening game of the series, neither team could get started on offense over the first three innings.
Philadelphia and Hamilton combined to strand five runners, as each squad collected one hit over the first three frames.
The Lady Tornadoes broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth, as Shenique Brass led off the inning with an inside-the-park home run to dead center field. Brass slid under a tag at home to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Lions did not let the one-run lead stand up, as Leslie Self and Katie Mink collected back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the fourth.
Hamilton's Caitlin Gurley followed the singles with a hard fly to left field, which the Philadelphia outfielder misplayed, allowing Self and Katie Mink to score.
The Lady Tornadoes and Lady Lions mustered just a combined three hits over the final three innings, as Hamilton took a one game lead in the series.
Hamilton didn't wait as long to score in the second game, as the Lady Lions posted two runs in the top of the second inning.
Gurley scored the first run, rounding all of the bases on a Philadelphia error, and Maria Blanton brought home Alex Robinson, who reached on a triple, with a single for a 2-0 Hamilton lead.
The Lady Lions increased their lead to 3-0 in the fifth, as Kerrie Mink scored on an error, and Hamilton went up 4-0 in the top of the sixth off a sacrifice fly by Katie Mink, which brought home Self.
The Lady Tornadoes went to work in the bottom of the sixth, as they enjoyed their most productive inning of the championship series.
Philadelphia's Brass and Shanese Hunter knocked back-to-back doubles after the first out of the inning. Hunter's two-bagger brought home Brass to cut Hamilton's lead to 4-1.
Lady Tornadoes pitcher Shelby Smith brought home Hunter with a single, and Smith and Brittany Hodges both scored off a single by Alli Parsons to tie the game at four.
Philadelphia couldn't score again as the game went into two extra innings, with Kerrie Mink pushing across the winning run on a fielder's choice for Hamilton.
Brass notched three hits, including a homer and double, for Philadelphia, and Hodges record four hits. Erin Breland had three hits for the Lady Tornadoes, and Hunter and Parsons each had two hits.
Kellyn Irvin recorded four hits for Hamilton, and Mink and Self each had three hits. Nikki Chapman and Gurley each had two hits for the Lady Lions.