by Rusty Ellis
CARTHAGE – The Macon County Tigerettes halted a three-game losing streak on Friday, as they battled back from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat Smith County 6-5 in eight innings.
“Keep playing, that’s all I told them,” said MCHS head coach Jenna Russell. “The hits are going to come, the defense is going to make plays, so just keep going. And that’s all it was.”
The Lady Owls struck first with a Maddi Kemp RBI single and Abby Woodard RBI double in the first inning, and Smith County took a 3-0 lead courtesy of a wild pitch that scored Kemp in the third inning.
Macon freshman Kayli Aulick entered the game in the third, and after that wild pitch, she only gave up two more runs over the remainder of her six innings of work to keep the Tigerettes in the game.
“She did great,” Russell said. “She’s a freshman, and she’s been very coachable. She doesn’t get to play every game, but every time she does, she reminds me why she’s on the team. I thought she was spectacular tonight.”
The Tigerettes got on the board thanks to a Maddy Cunningham RBI double in the fourth inning, and Ariana Jones made it a 3-2 game with her RBI single in the fifth. Two batters later, Kenley Roark smashed a two-run home run to give Macon their first lead of the game at 4-3.
Smith County didn’t go away quietly however, as Shelby Bamford’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth inning knotted the score up at 4-4. Then with two runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh, Kemp made a diving snag to rob Ryleigh Coley of a potential game-winning hit, which forced extra innings.
In the eighth, Macon pushed across two runs via a fielder’s choice and an error, and while Smith threatened in the bottom half of the inning, Aulick slammed the door shut to earn the win 6-5.
She finished with six innings of three-run ball for the win, and Roark’s homer led the team with two RBIs.
Russell says her team’s record isn’t where she wants to it to be, even after Friday’s game, but she’s hopeful a win like this one can help her team turn the corner.
“We said this could be the turning point,” Russell said. “Our record’s not great, but if you look at the games, we’re there, we’ve just got to finish. So I hope this is a spark for all of them.”
Up next for Macon will be a road tilt with Portland on Monday, while Smith County will play a pair of games on Saturday against the Knights and Pickett County.
