PURVIS – With the game on the line in extra innings, every team would want to have its best hitter at the plate for the chance to win the game. For the Purvis Lady Tornadoes on Tuesday, that was Kadie Hale.
In the eighth inning of a 4-4 game against East Central, Hale delivered a walk-off single to right-center field to beat the Lady Hornets 5-4 in Game 1 of the first-round series. Game 2 will be played at East Central in Hurley on Thursday at 5 p.m., and if necessary, Game 3 will follow immediately. Purvis swept Richland in the play-in series last week to get to this point of the 4A playoffs.
Hale not only had the game-winning single, she also went 3-for-4 from the plate in the contest with a double, a triple, two RBI and a run scored.
“I was just looking for the fastball, honestly,” Hale said. “I knew I could hit her. I’ve been working really hard for this game. My heart was pumping out of my chest.”
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The Lady Tornadoes have been in this situation before. Almost exactly one year ago, they took Game 1 of a series with East Central on the second weekend of the playoffs, but they would go on to lose Games 2 and 3 to fall in the series. Purvis coach David Entrekin thinks his team is more ready to take on the challenge of finishing off the series this time.
“Our girls are a little bit older, we only had two seniors, so I feel like we play a little bit smarter,” he said.
The win Tuesday was Purvis’ seventh straight after a close loss to an undefeated Lawrence County team earlier this month. The win streak has helped the Lady Tornadoes gain confidence at the most important time of the season.
“We’ve been on a run here lately,” Entrekin said. “I think we got a good jump from beating Sumrall pretty good to get in the playoffs, and the girls have just been feeding off that. Hopefully, we can keep it going as long as we can.”
In extra innings, teams start the frame with a base runner on second base to help speed up the game. East Central chose to sacrifice bunt the runner over to third during the leadoff at-bat in the top of the eighth, then a ground out to second gave the Lady Hornets a 4-3 lead after they scored three runs in the seventh to force extras.
Entrekin had a different philosophy, though. With the leadoff hitter due up, instead of giving away an out, he chose to swing away and it almost hurt Purvis. With one out, Kalli McRaney singled up the middle, but East Central center fielder Alexis Laughlin made an impressive throw to the plate to throw out the would-be tying run and it quickly put two outs on the board with a runner at second.
Down to her final strike, Purvis three-hole hitter and the team’s starting pitcher, Gracey Baucom, smacked a 0-2 single to right field to tie the game at 4-all, then Hale delivered the final blow with a fly ball to right field that found the grass. Courtesy runner Elise Jackson sprinted from first to home to end the game.
“I felt like with a good base hit from one of our Top 3, we could score,” Entrekin said of his strategy. “I wanted to give the top of my order a chance to swing the bat. I just felt like a couple of those girls would come through, and I wanted to leave it in their hands.
“(Hale) came through, and it was kind of a hit-and-run on the spot. It wasn’t a set up hit-and-run, we kind of threw that in there. I was hoping if we could bloop a single, Elise is our fastest runner, and I was hoping to make something happen. Kadi did a great job of putting the bat on the ball on the run.”
Baucom pitched all eight innings while giving up four runs – three earned – on six hits. While Baucom is the ace of the team, Purvis will give left-hander Sarah Ballard the ball in the circle on Tuesday. Entrekin said Ballard has helped Baucom shoulder the load this season, which has made both pitchers more effective.
