Lady Cats Hold on To Win Thriller Over Coffee County
by Mike McGee [Junior Varsity Photos]
  The Tullahoma Lady Wildcats defeated Coffee County 2-1 Thursday night in a white-knuckle, edge-of-your seat softball game that neither team deserved to lose.
  
The Lady Cats came out ripping the ball with four hits and two runs in the top of the first inning, then they spent the rest of the night hanging on for dear life, especially in the second, fifth and sixth innings when the Lady Raiders put on the pressure.
Paula Wimberly fires a pitch during Thursday's junior varsity game at Coffee County.
   Sophomore Meghan Brayton continued her hot hitting with a single off the first baseman's glove to start the game, and after freshman Heather Sircy flew out to deep center field, Renea Shirley ripped a single up the middle, and senior catcher Erica Duke followed with an RBI single to center. Senior Sarah Binion then delivered a clutch hit to right to make it 2-0, but Lady Raider pitcher Kristen Swann toughened and avoided the big inning by striking out the next two batters.
  
Coffee County scored its lone run in the second when Swann reached on an error, and Megan Bartell delivered an RBI single to left.
  
Lady Wildcat senior Chelsea Jones allowed only Bartell's single through the first four innings. In fact, the next Lady Raider hit came when Bartell came up in the fifth and led off with a double. Right fielder Whitney Scott made a brilliant effort on the play, racing back to the warning track and snagging the ball in the web of her glove, but the ball popped loose after a couple of steps. Still, she held Bartell to a double with her effort, which would prove crucial later in the inning.  
  
After Jessica Downs got down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Bartell's pinch runner to third with one out, Leslie Keele came up and put the ball in play to Binion, who was drawn in at first base. Binion fielded it and tried to tag Keele as she came by but missed, so she fired to Brayton covering first on the play for the second out. Meanwhile, the runner at third broke for home, and Brayton fired a perfect strike to Erica Duke who applied the tag for the third out to protect the 2-1 lead.
  
Coffee County again threatened in the sixth when Kristy Davis walked and leadoff hitter Shelby Davis singled up the middle. Jones gathered herself on the mound after that and got two pop ups and a grounder to end the threat. Neither team threatened in the seventh.
  
Jones allowed only three balls out of the infield during the game, and they were all three hits. Every out was in the infield or via the five strike outs she recorded.