by Rusty Ellis
The Cookeville Lady Cavs used a three-run sixth inning and a gutsy outing from Madison Lancaster in the circle to take down the DeKalb County Tigerettes 6-4 on Monday evening.
Cookeville got on the board in the first inning thanks to an RBI double from Kady Presley, but DeKalb County answered in the bottom of the inning with a Morgan Walker RBI single, leading to a 1-1 game heading to the second.
After Lancaster and Tigerette starter Bri Murphy each threw scoreless second and third innings, Cookeville broke through once again in the fourth with two runs to take a 3-1 lead.
Laylah Turner belted a solo home run to lead off the frame, while the second run scored on an error for the two-run lead.
DeKalb didn’t go away quietly however, as Aniston Farler led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run to left field to trim the lead down to just 3-2. Bryna Pelham knotted the score at 3-3 with her third double of the game to drive in Zaleigh Bane.
Both teams traded scoreless fifth innings, before Cookeville’s final rally gave them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Kylie Kleppin doubled in the go-ahead run, and Kyrklinn Moores drove in two more with a two-run single to make the score 6-3.
DeKalb got a run back in the bottom of the inning, but it’s all they could muster up against Lancaster, who threw a scoreless seventh to seal the 6-4 victory.
For head coach Jordan Webb, this game showed off a lot of what he feels his team is doing well to close the season.
“It was back-and-forth for most of the game, and finally we put a rally together where we scored three runs,” Webb said. “They started to mount a comeback, but Madison Lancaster’s been pitching really well for us lately…they’re a really quality team, so it was good to come back and get a win off of them.”
Lancaster worked her way out of trouble pretty consistently on Monday evening, and Webb says that shows the growth and strides she’s taken since the season began.
“She’s gotten steadily better as the season’s gone along,” Webb said. “What she’s done over the last two-and-a-half week is that she’s locating her pitches better…she’s making key pitches in key situations, and that’s allowing us to make plays behind her.”
The district tournament is right around the corner for Cookeville, and though the district record isn’t what Webb wants it to be, he believes he’s got a team that can make some noise once the games ratchet up.
“We’re that team that flies under the radar a little bit and everyone underestimates us a little bit,” Webb said. “We’ve been playing really well, and I think we’re that team that can make some noise and snake-bite you if you give us the chance…we’re just a team that rides momentum really well.”
Cookeville will take on Rhea County on Tuesday, while DeKalb will return to the field for the District 7/AAA Tournament.
