Young ELCA team advances to Elite Eight with two-game sweep of Strong Rock

By Luke Strickland

LOCUST GROVE — The Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy softball program is used to traveling to Columbus for the Class-A Private championship softball tournament this time of year.

ELCA achieved that feat once again Wednesday with a two-game sweep over Strong Rock Christian School, but the 2016 edition of the Lady Chargers weren’t expected to reach the same point as many of their predecessors — not after graduating nine seniors off last year’s state championship team and beginning the season with a 3-7 record.

But when Caris Wright delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh in Game 2 to secure a 3-2 win, the Lady Chargers resembled those successful ELCA teams of years past.

“This has been the team of all teams — I never would have expected Columbus for this team and for us to be in the top eight,” said ELCA head coach Doug Campbell. “So there’s a lot of satisfaction because I had to work harder as a coach, our coaching staff did, this year than we’ve ever had to work.”

The Lady Chargers overcame a late surge from Strong Rock in Game 2 to finish the two-game sweep. Strong Rock scored two runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 2-1 lead. Grace Wagers led off with a fortunate double on a misplayed fly ball in the outfield and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Danielle Goodine to put Strong Rock up 2-1 heading to the bottom of the seventh.

With the home crowd cheering at a frenzy, ELCA calmly put itself in position to win the game. Lyndsey Darden and Katie McDonald each reached on bunt singles before Ansley Jenkins smacked a RBI double down the right field line to tie the game at 2-2.

Wright followed with a sharp single up the middle to send her team to Columbus.

“After the way we lost the lead that we had the whole game in the seventh, I was really questioning if we had it in us,” said Campbell. “I think the moment was kind of getting too big for our team, and you could tell in that last inning when we missed some balls we never miss. I didn’t know if it would carry over to the at-bats or not.

“It was a big growing moment for this team, no doubt,” he added.

ELCA rode Palmer Pinholster to the finish line. The right-hander pitched all 14 innings for her team, picking up two wins. She allowed three earned runs and struck out 15 hitters across both games.

Ten of those strikeouts came in a 6-4 win in Game 1 of the series. ELCA fell behind in the bottom of the third inning when Kyndal Brown sacrificed Olivia Biles home with a bunt. The Lady Chargers responded with a four-run fourth inning, punctuated by a two-RBI double by Sydney Palmer.

Madisyn Brown cut ELCA’s lead to 4-2 with a RBI double in the bottom of the fifth. ELCA responded with two runs in the top of the sixth to extend its lead to 6-2.

Strong Rock scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth on RBIs from Goodine and Anna Claire Box. Yet, with the tying runs in scoring position, Pinholster buckled down to strike out Kyndal Brown to end Strong Rock’s last legitimate opportunity at scoring runs in the contest.

“(Palmer) has played in some tight moments like in Columbus, but we had veteran pitchers in front of her,” said Campbell. “This was the first time where it fell to her and there was nobody else. She knew it and just stepped up. Big strikeouts at some big times.”

Both Pinholster and Strong Rock’s Abby Young pitched much better in Game 2. The only run of the game through five innings came in ELCA’s half of the third inning when a walk by Cassidi Thomas allowed Pinholster to score.

Strong Rock finally cracked Pinholster in the sixth inning when Box tripled to deep left field to begin the inning. Kyndal Brown drove in Box to tie the game at 1-1.

After Goodine gave her team the lead in the seventh, Pinholster navigated through any further damage by stranding runners on second and third base. Despite surrendering the lead, ELCA needed just four batters in the bottom of the inning to score the two runs needed to clinch a trip to Columbus.

“We’ve had to work to keep our program competitive,” said Campbell. “It’s very gratifying to do that at this point. It’s not a championship, but it was big getting that hit.”

Sydney Palmer led the ELCA offense, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the series. McDonald went 4-for-8 with two runs, while Jenkins drove in two runs and recorded three hits. Pinholster and Katie Ketner each scored two runs in the series.

Strong Rock finished the season with a 16-10 record. Biles led the offense with a 4-for-7 night and two runs scored. Madisyn Brown posted a 2-for-4 performance in Game 1, while Wagers had two hits in Game 2. Box went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored in Game 2. Young pitched all 13 innings for her team, striking out nine hitters across both games.

ELCA (15-13) will play its first game in the Elite Eight double-elimination tournament next Thursday against the winner of the Holy Innocents/First Presbyterian Day series. The two teams split the first two games of their double-header on Wednesday.