By Lee Trawick Riverbend News
The Suwannee Middle School (SMS) girls softball team went into this season with more questions than answers. After losing nine eighth graders to high school, the girls did not know where to turn. But, with determination and a never-back-down mentality, the Ladypups would find themselves right in the thick of the fight. Head Coach Greg Gabey, with assistants Aston Petersen and Tim May, led the Ladypups through a gauntlet of a schedule consisting of Wakulla, Taylor, Wakulla Riversprings, Madison, Florida High and Marianna.
Like any season, there were ups and downs, but it was those times that galvanize a team together. The leaders will rise to the top and rally their team. This was the case for Gracie Watley, Starleigh McKenny and Kirsten Yaun. Watley carried the Ladypups the entire season on the pitcher's mound, while McKenny and Yaun would lead the way with their bats. Watley, knowing there was no backup plan, competed every inning of every game. McKenny and Yaun would ask their teammates to get them to the plate somehow and time and time again their teammates would answer the call. The two seasoned leaders would reward their teammates with big hits as McKenny displayed her power early in the season. With a 2-2 count and Gabey on first, McKenny got extension and crushed a fastball to straightaway centerfield for a homerun, erupting the crowd and scoring two runs.
The leadership of Watley, McKenny and Yaun on the field allowed for the younger girls to grow and gain confidence as the season developed, going into the District Championships. Taking advantage of their leadership, no moment would be too big for the younger girls as they rose to the occasion every time, proving they belong regardless of their age or lack of experience, none more than first-year player, Maylee Gabey. Gabey would find herself in situations throughout the season that may not show up in stats, but would prove to be pivotal thoughout games to make way for her teammates to take advantage of the momentum shifts on their way to a win or just to give themselves a chance at the end. Felicity May would be another youngster who would scrape, tooth and nail, all season for the Ladypups. As a first-year player, May would not be intimidated by the speed of the game. They were growing pains for Gabey and May, but together they learned from the early season mistakes. Also contributing in big moments throughout the season were Bri Wood, Layla Merola and Kayla Freeman. The lineup proved, top to bottom, the Ladypups could bite their opponent at any given moment.
Suwannee would go into the tournament on Tuesday, March 30, at SMS as the number one seed, being feared by those in the tournament, knowing they would have to face Watley. Watley developed a reputation as a strikeout artist, grinding up an unprecedented 192 batters by way of strikeout. Watley would prey on the opposing teams racking up 12 games with double-digit strikeouts including one game striking out 18 of the 21 outs.
After a first-round bye and the Ladypups advancing in the second round by defeating Taylor 11-2, the Ladypups would face Wakulla, which proved to be a tough game. But with the big booming bat of McKenny, the Ladypups were able to prevail. However, the District Championship would bring a whole different atmosphere to the field for both teams.
Watley would allow one run in the first inning off of errors. May would then get things started as the youngster drove in the Ladypups' first run of the game after both Yaun and Gabey walked, tying the score at one after the first inning. Wakulla would answer in the second inning with their second run before Watley would again strike out the next three batters.
The score would remain 2-1 until the fourth inning. Gabey would come up huge, with two runners on base when she would double to leftfield scoring both Candice Jenkins and Yaun to give the Ladypups the lead 3-2.
In the sixth inning, things began to get away from the Ladypups, committing several errors and allowing Wakulla to reclaim the lead 4-3. The Ladypups would again answer when Gabey would score Merola, who had singled earlier, tying the game 4-4. May would score Yaun on a single to rightfield, with the lead 5-4 going into the seventh inning. Things would begin to spiral out of control, leaving the Ladypups trailing 8-5 with one last at-bat.
McKenny would reach first base after being hit by the pitcher, before Merola would drive her in with a double to rightfield. Gabey then came to the plate with two outs and down two runs with runners on second and third. Again she would double, this time scoring Merola and advancing Yaun to third, putting the Ladypups down by one run until May would force a ground ball error, scoring Yaun and tying the game 8-8, giving new life to the Ladypups going into extra innings.
Wakulla would score one run in the top of the eighth inning as Watley would begin to show signs of fatigue, but she would not quit. The Ladypups did not falter when facing adversity, as Wood would steal home after she singled and Merola singled advancing her to third, tying the game 9-9. Watley would catch her breath before shutting down Wakulla in the top of the ninth, allowing the Ladypups big bats to come to the plate. Gabey would begin the inning with a single, followed by Watley and Wood, loading the bases for McKenny. As Wakulla knows all too well what McKenny can do with her bat, Wakulla had nowhere to put McKenny with the winning run on third. McKenny would step to the plate for the final at-bat of her middle school career in what would also be her biggest moment. After one strike, McKenny would flex her muscle one last time, doubling to centerfield, knocking in the District Championship winning run as Gabey crossed the plate.
Watley would finish the day with the win going all nine innings, giving up five hits and nine runs, but only one was earned, walking just three and striking out an astonishing 17. Merola would lead the Ladypups at the plate going 4-4 with one run batted in, Gabey would also have three hits and three runs batted in. Big contributions were also made by May, Wood and McKenny as well as Watley herself, all providing two hits.
Congratulations to the SMS Ladypups softball team on becoming Big Bend District Champions.