Playoff atmosphere, Tors outlast Sharks in extra innings
Published 7:00 am Wednesday, April 12, 2023
- Rodrick Anderson / American Press The Tors’ Emma Thomson (23) is congratulated at home plate after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of a nondistrict game against Southside on Tuesday at Frash Park in Sulphur.
SULPHUR — Pressy White’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning gave Sulphur a 2-1 win over Southside Tuesday in a nondistrict game at Frasch Park.
With the bases loaded and one out, White hit a long fly ball to left. Southside outfielder Emma Clements made a spectacular diving catch just shy of the outfield wall but was unable to get up to attempt a throw home. Kennedy Dougherty scored the winning run.
Dougherty was hit by a pitch to start the rally. She advanced to second on an error and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Gracie Higginbotham. Payton Prince was walked intentionally to load the bases for White.
“This was a pitchers’ duel and a lot of the girls were struggling at the plate,” Tors head coach Brooke David said. “To see (White) work through those things, get up there and put one deep, she really came through for us.”
Candayce Carrier pitched a complete game for the Tors (20-8), who took a 1-0 lead on a second-inning home run by Emma Thomson. Carrier was in control most of the game, limiting Southside to three singles over the first six innings.
The Sharks (18-13) pieced together a rally to tie the score in the top of the seventh. Kori Lam singled with one out and scored when Grace Carpenter and Brooklyn Forman hit back-to-back singles with two outs.
Southside got two runners on in the top of the eighth on a Moss walk and Raeley Duplechin single, but Carrier forced a groundout to end the inning.
“She was commanding the ball, commanding the strike zone and doing everything we needed her to do today,” David said of Carrier.
The Tors avenged an earlier one-run loss to the Sharks in a District 3-5A game between the teams.
Duplechin and Carpenter each had two hits for Southside. White and Thomson each had a hit and a walk for Sulphur.
The Tors are in line to host a first-round game when the state playoffs begin next week. David said the team has grown over the course of the regular season.
“They’re a completely different team from the beginning of the season,” she said. “They are working hard and they want to see success. They are doing a good job.”
