Hicks, Gibbs shut down Admirals
The Farragut High School softball team had its offense silenced on Wednesday, March 23.
“We’ve got to be more productive. It’s early, but we’ve got to be more productive,” Admirals coach David Moore said after his squad came up on the short end of a 1-0 decision against Gibbs at FHS. “We played pretty good defense.”
Farragut (2-5) hit the ball hard off of Eagles ace pitcher Abby Hicks but had nothing to show for its effort as Gibbs (11-3) played some solid defense in a non-district game.
“I can’t say enough about our defense,” Gibbs coach Carol Mitchell said. “We played well.
“Farragut always hits the ball well and they hit the ball hard. I really didn’t think that a 1-0 lead would stand up for the whole game.”
But it did.
Farragut got its lone hit of the contest with two outs in the bottom of the first inning when catcher Lexee Lamoree singled. She was stranded in scoring position after she stole second and Mary Claire Coyne struck out to end the frame.
Lamoree said that Hicks stifled Farragut and left the Admirals baffled throughout the game.
“This was really frustrating because we were all putting the ball in play all day long,” she said. “They were just solid in the field.
“Now, we have to get things turned around.”
With help from the Eagles defense, Hicks retired 24 consecutive Farragut hitters and if anything summed up the Admirals’ day, it was a play in the bottom of the third inning when designated player Bailey Young appeared to place a single into right field only to have Gibbs High’s Kayley Kern gun her down at first base.
Farragut also missed a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the second when Delaney Weller hit a deep fly ball to center field, which stayed in the ball park and was pulled in by Ashley Daniels.
“We hit the ball hard,” Moore said. “But we hit it right at people. Delaney hit the ball well.”
Gibbs had nine hits but only one left the infield and that was Kern’s sixth-inning single.
The Eagles tallied the lone run of the game in the first inning. Gibbs shortstop Leah Sohm led off the game with a single and stole second. She came home one out later when Sierra Hucklebee singled.
Farragut pitcher Callie Moore recovered and eventually struck out the side in the frame. She pitched a solid game as she struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. She was also the beneficiary of two double plays turned by the Admirals. Those twin killings helped her escape jams in the third in the fifth.
The Farragut pitcher commended her defense.
“I was hitting my spots and my defense made the plays behind me,” she said. “We played good defense.
“We always play good defense and I know that my defense has always got my back.”
Farragut, which lost three of its first five games in the Commando Classic in Hendersonville over Spring Break. The Admirals then opened District 4-AAA with a 6-2 loss at Maryville on Tuesday, March 22.
The Admirals took an early lead thanks to a pair of second-inning home runs by Coyne and Kelsie Tuggle.
Farragut did manage four hits off Red Rebels’ ace Caylan Arnold, who fanned 16 Admirals in the district opener for both schools.
Brooke Parker clubbed two homers for Maryville, which also benefitted from three Farragut errors.
