Meigs jumped out early and looked to be on its way to a quality win. Yet, some timely late game hitting by Walker Valley was highlighted by a game-changing home run that closed the gap and then the door on the Lady Tigers, with the Lady ’Stangs coming away with a 5-3 victory.
“I am so proud of these girls. They kept fighting and the never gave up. That shows their heart and their desire to win. This was a great team effort. We had different people step up when we needed them, and a win is the result,” expressed Walker Valley head coach Lauren Limburg.
It was a rocky start for the home squad as Meigs started the game out hot. Five visiting hitters kicked off the game with base hits, leading to two Lady Tiger RBIs.
The top of the second saw a one out triple by Meigs that eventually crossed the plate on a Walker Valley wild pitch to bring the tally to 3-0.
For their part, Walker Valley bats seemed to have come out of their spring break trip to Florida a little slow. Higher than average temperatures didn’t help, as the Lady Mustangs combined for just three hits through the first four innings.
Then, during the bottom of the fifth, a spark appeared in the Lady Mustang dugout as Hallie Davis kicked things off with a one-out single. Baylee Boen reached safely on a Meigs error and Leslie Still and Morgan Elrod both notched RBI singles to put the home team on the board.
It seemed the Lady Tigers could sense the impending doom. Sidney Hooper provided a big boost out of the bullpen and sat batters in the top of the sixth down in order to bring Walker Valley back up to the plate.
“Alicia (Raymond) gave us a good starting effort. She caught a couple bad breaks, but she gave us a great effort. Sidney came in and gave us just what we needed. She pitched great. I’m really proud of both of them,” Limburg stated.
With one resounding ping of the bat Allie Morrow put the final nail in Meigs’ coffin when she launched a solo shot to lead off the bottom half of the sixth and steal all the Lady Tigers’ momentum.
Rachel Percy followed Morrow when she reached safely on another Lady Tiger error. Bayleigh Morgan laid down a sacrifice bunt. Hallie Davis knocked Percy in with an RBI single and Hooper helped herself, capping things off with a big RBI double to give the Lady Mustangs a 5-3 lead.
Down to their last three outs, Meigs decided it was time to go home, going three-up, three-down to let Walker Valley walk away with a big come-from-behind win.
“I was so happy for Allie. She works so hard. That home run was a big swing in momentum for us. Meigs is a really good all-around team. It makes me even more proud that we came back against such a good squad,” Limburg said.
Next up for Walker Valley is a big crosstown showdown against the Cleveland Lady Raiders in an important 5-AAA game. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. this afternoon.
LADY MUSTANGS 5, LADY TIGERS 3
Meigs County 210 000 0 — 3 8 2
Walker Valley 000 023 x — 5 11 2
WP: Sidney Hooper 3 IP, 4 Ks, 0 BB, 0 H, 0 ER. LP: Morgan Boggess 7 IP, 5 Ks, 2 BB, 11 H, 3 ER. HR: Allie Morrow (WV). 3B: Jessica Swafford (MC). 2B: Hooper (WV). RBI: Leslie Still, Morgan Elrod, Morrow, Hallie Davis, Hooper (WV); Bradni Kilpatrick, Angel Davis (MC). Records: Meigs County 9-6, Walker Valley 10-2.
