It was a forgetful ending to a memorable season for Sacred Heart’s softball team on Monday night.
The Lady Crusaders struggled to find a rhythm in a 13-1 loss to Enterprise-Lincoln in Game 3 of the second round of the Class 1A playoffs.
Despite the loss, the Sacred Heart’s 18-4 final record is the winningest season in school history, and it also featured the program’s first-ever district championship.
“They left everything on the field,” Sacred Heart coach Clark Robinson said. “We didn’t get the outcome we wanted. My goal heading into this was that they play and leave everything on the field, then hold your head up high. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. You learn in a loss and keep moving forward.”
However, adding to the bittersweetness of the loss is the fact that Robinson announced his decision to retire following the loss. In four seasons, Robinson was instrumental in helping turn around the program, which had never gotten past the first round of the playoffs.
“My son races dirt bikes, and I’m full into that next year (so) I’m a full-time dad for the first time in 15 years,” Robinson said. “Where we started, we were not good at softball. We had a lot of great athletes who didn’t know how to play together and come together as a team. That’s what I tried to instill, which was teamwork and coming together.
“We had never won a playoff game. Last year, we went to the third round, and this year, we made it (to the second) and finished 18-4 on the season. That’s never happened in school history, and being district champs. I feel good about it. I feel like I’m leaving the school and program better than how I found it. That’s all you can do.”
In the game itself, which ended in five innings by run rule, Sacred Heart committed five errors in the field, while its lineup only put up six hits.
“We just had a bad night,” Robinson said. “We played Saturday and lost 3-1. We came out tonight tight and were just trying to press too hard and not playing our game. That happens.”
Enterprise-Lincoln (15-12) struck first after a plating run with a sac fly followed by a throwing error, allowing a second run to score. The Yellowjackets then broke the game open with a 6-run inning in the third, which was then followed by a 4-run inning in the fourth and one more in the fifth.
“Errors for us are very uncommon, and the dominos fell,” Robinson said. “That’s also a good team we played. They have great pitching. They hit the ball well. We just couldn’t keep up.”
Sacred Heart’s lone run came in the bottom of the third inning after Mia Cargill reached home from a wild pitch. The Lady Crusaders nearly scored a second run from a wild pitch, but Julia Adams was tagged out at home. In the fourth inning, Sacred Heart had similar bad luck after loading the bases with one out but failed to come up with any runs to keep the game alive.
“We were pressing too hard,” Robinson said. “I think the girls were trying too hard instead of taking what the pitcher gave us. In this situation and moment, it’s easy to do.
“The girls bought into what me and Coach Frank (Baugh) were doing. They put all the effort in. We had a great season. We are not great coaches. They are great athletes.”
Follow @PineBeltSPORTS on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
