PURVIS – Nerves were at a premium Monday night in the Class 4A softball playoffs.
In a tautly-battled, see-saw contest, host Purvis held off Bay High 6-5 in Game 2 of the best-of-three series at the PHS Softball Complex. The victory sends the Tornadoes (18-7) to the quarterfinal round against North Pike. The Tigers finished their season 14-13.
“It was definitely nerve-wracking, that’s for sure,” Purvis coach David Entrekin said. “We just kept battling. We kept telling the girls to time it up, and they do a good job of that every inning.
“They’re a good, solid team, but we took advantage of a couple of opportunities we had.”
This was a struggle all night long, beginning with the first batter of the game, as senior Anilyssa Richardson reached on an infield single for the Tigers.
Richardson was forced out at second on a groundball to shortstop off the bat of sophomore Carlie Lumpkin, but freshman Mackenzie Graham singled, sending Lumpkin to second. She took third on a groundout and scored on a single by sophomore Deleah Bullock.
It was just the start of a busy night for Purvis junior Hannah Lower, who faced runners on base in every inning.
“It was definitely nerve-wracking for me as a pitcher to have runners on in every inning,” said Lower, who improved to 14-2 for the season. “I just had to keep a clear mind and rely on my defense.”
Bay High made it 2-0 in the second when freshman Devin Bourgeois was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. She took second on a slow roller to third and scored on a two-base error, the first of three miscues for the Tornadoes.
Sophomore Ava Williford got Purvis going offensively off Tiger sophomore starter Maddie Favre in the bottom of the second, when senior Alley Young smashed a 3-2 pitch to the fence in right-centerfield for a leadoff triple.
With one out, eighth-grader Aubrey Easley drew a walk and stole second. A wild pitch scored Williford, and Easley came home with the tying run on a groundout to the right side.
“Really, I knew I needed to be clutch for my team,” Williford said. “My teammates are good about lifting me up and helping me out. I knew they needed me to step up. I saw something I could drive and went with it.”
Bay High wasted little time in getting those runs right back. Graham led off the top of the third with a single and senior Annabelle Hayes was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up on a flyball to right and both scored on a two-out triple by Bourgeois.
Again, Purvis came right back in the bottom of the inning.
With one out, Jackson dropped a surprise bunt in front of home plate and legged out a single. She stole second on the next pitch and scored on the one after that, when Lower blasted a double to left. Senior Andee Robertson made it 4-4 when she singled to right.
“I normally don’t bunt, but I wasn’t getting any hits; I wasn’t making contact,” Jackson said. “I just felt like laying a bunt down would be my best option to get on base at that point.”
Junior Gracey Adkins came to pitch for the Tigers in the fourth inning, and she proved to be her own worst enemy in the fifth, when Purvis scored the unearned runs that would win the game.
Adkins got two quick outs to start the fifth, but Robertson’s grounder to third was booted. Williford singled, sending Robertson to third, and the first of two wild pitches allowed the go-ahead run to score, with Williford going to third. Another wild pitch made it 6-4.
“This team is amazing,” Williford said. “We know how much we’ve pushed ourselves to get here. On and off the field, girls have been working hard, and that shows how much they want to succeed.”
That sixth run came in handy in the top of the sixth, when the Tornadoes’ defense got them into big trouble, only to have their defense get them out of what could have been a disastrous inning.
Seniors Brennan Brooks and McKenzie Favre opened the inning, then Richardson hit a ground ball that Robertson was unable to handle, and Jackson compounded the situation by kicking the ball into the outfield.
One run scored on the initial error, then the runners moved over to second and third with none out.
That’s when Entrekin came out, gathered his team in the pitcher’s circle and did his best to calm his players down.
“That’s what we were shooting for,” Entrekin said. “I think we were pressing a little bit there. I think we were starting to see the end result, and I just wanted them to calm down.
“That was the main thing, I just wanted them to know what the situation was, to let Hannah pitch to contact and let our defense finish it up.”
In short order, Lumpkin tried to bunt and was struck by the batted ball in the field of play for an out, then Graham smacked a sharp grounder to the circle.
Lower made the quick throw to first, then Young alertly fired to the plate to get Favre in a rundown for the third out of the inning to preserve a one-run lead.
“My team will make some errors here and there, but they always make up for it, especially hitting,” Lower said. “We try to keep the big inning to a minimum, then come back on offense.
“One of the biggest things about this team is mental toughness. Sometimes it’s not there, sometimes it is, but it’s our job as a team to get it together for everybody.”
Purvis had a chance to get an insurance run or two in the bottom of the sixth, getting runners to second and third with two out. But Adkins got a strikeout to end the inning.
It didn’t matter in the end, because Lower (14-2) pitched around a one-out single in the top of the seventh, getting the final out on a flyball to Jackson in center.
“That’s what she does; she battles,” Entrekin said. “We throw to contact, we like to rely on our defense to make plays and Hannah does a good job of fielding her position. She’s a competitor. She puts us her shoulders, and we follow her lead.”
In Entrekin’s 15 seasons at Purvis, the Tornadoes have only gotten to the quarterfinal round once before, in 2018. To get into uncharted territory, the Tornadoes will have to slay a longtime nemesis in North Pike.
“I know they’re good,” Entrekin said. “They’re always good. I know they have some good pitching. I’m a little superstitious about looking ahead, so I’ll dig into them this week to get us ready.
“North Pike has a fine program. They’ve beaten us out in the playoffs many times in the past, and they’ve got a good softball community. It’s going to be all we want, and more.”
Game 1 of the series is scheduled for Friday at Summit, with Game 2 set for Saturday. If needed, a third game will be back at North Pike on Monday.
