Macon County Wins Region 4-3A Championship Over Page

by Rusty Ellis

The Macon County Tigerettes won the Region 4-3A Championship with their 7-6 win over Page on Wednesday night, as the Tigerettes also clinched a home substate game with the victory.

Ellie Coley got the scoring started right away, as she drove in Macy Meador with an RBI single in the first inning. Page didn’t wait too long to respond though, as a sacrifice fly scored the tying run in the bottom half of the inning.

Coley and Lady Patriot starter Shelby Buffington took turns tossing zeros on the scoreboard from this point on until the Tigerettes broke through in the fifth inning.

There after Meador and Coley both reached base, Cadence Carter blasted a three-run home run to left-centerfield to give Macon County a 4-1 lead.

Once again, Page was quick on the response, as a two-run home run from Ella Polk cut the lead down to just 4-3.

Coley and Buffington each rebounded in the sixth inning for scoreless frames, as the game moved to the seventh inning with the Tigerettes looking for some insurance runs.

And that’s exactly what they got in the form of a Cadence Carter two-run double to push the lead back up to 6-3. After a Ryleigh Coley RBI groundout, the Tigerettes took a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Things didn’t get off to a great start there however, as a flyball to left dropped for a hit and Jacie Linden made Macon pay with a two-run home run to cut the lead back down to 7-5. Three batters later, Buffington pulled the Lady Patriots within one run with an RBI single to score Polk.

Macon would not be denied however, as Coley struck out a batter with runners on first and second to end the game and clinch the 7-6 win for the Tigerettes.

For head coach Jenna Russell, she always knew that her team had the ability to get here, but they would have to beat some really good teams in order to do so.

After winning road games at Lincoln County and Page, it’s safe to say they more than earned it.

“Unreal, if you would’ve asked me at the start of the season if we would’ve gotten this far, I would’ve supported them, but they really stepped up this week,” Russell said. “They’re peaking when they need to peak, and I’m super proud of them…the entire team’s mental toughness is excellent.”

There were plenty of people who believed Carter was due for a big hit, and she got two of them when Russell’s squad needed them the most.

“It was all seniors,” Russell said. “She hit the home run and two other seniors were on the base. My seniors are stepping up when we need them…They’re doing what needs to be done.”

For Carter, it’s a moment she admittedly had a tough time putting into words, but she knew one thing for sure.

“I knew it was gone the moment I hit it,” Carter said of her home run in the fifth. “The feeling was just thank the lord for it honestly…no words for this, it’s unimaginable. We’ve been the underdogs the whole time, we’ve been the lower seed in both games, and to pull this out to be region champs, it’s unbelievable.”

And now, the Tigerettes will turn their attention to a substate game with East Hamilton in Lafeyette on Friday. It’s another special moment for these seniors as they now sit just one game away from making it to Spring Fling.

“We’re so excited to host,” Carter said. “It’s our home-field, so we know that field the best. One game away from state, it’s just unbelievable.”

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