CAK softball claims Division II rivalry triumph, decisively, at Webb
KNOXVILLE — Christian Academy of Knoxville softball head coach Lisa Nettles wasn’t sure what to expect when her squad took the field for a Division II-A East/Middle District 1 road game Thursday, April 19.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries,” Nettles said after her CAK Lady Warriors overcame some adversity to notch a 15-2 six-inning victory at Webb School of Knoxville. “We’ve had three concussions and we had a lot of changes today.”
Nettles may have had to piece together a lineup once she and her team (4-4 overall, 3-1 in the district) made the short trip to Webb, but once the visitors arrived at the ballpark they didn’t seem to have much trouble.”
CAK pitcher Annie Cole was masterful throughout most of the contest, as she surrendered two runs, three hits and a walk in a complete-game victory. She had 11 strikeouts. The Lady Spartans (2-7, 0-5) manufactured all of their offense in the bottom of the fourth inning.
She also scored three runs in the game despite going 0-for-4 at the plate. She walked and reached on an error twice.
However, “This took longer than we wanted it too,” Cole said. “Our offense didn’t do as well as we would’ve liked. We haven’t had a lot of games, and hopefully we can play better.”
The Lady Warriors certainly wasted no time showing they were capable of capitalizing on their opponents’ mistakes.
CAK benefitted from four Webb errors in the top of the first. The Lady Warriors also caught an early break when leadoff hitter Ariya Rice reached base on a wild pitch despite striking out.
Once she got on base, Rice terrorized the Lady Spartans. She advanced to second on another wild pitch and took third on a passed ball before stealing home to score the game’s first run.
That was only the beginning.
Mallory Breeden, Cole and Brooklyn McMillan all reached on defensive miscues and later scored. CAK’s lone hit of the frame was a single by Ellie Nath.
The Lady Warriors added three more runs in the second on the strength of three doubles. Breeden led off the inning with an extra-base hit. She scored when Aubrey Dunn doubled.
Nath added a two-run double that scored Dunn and Cole, who drew a walk.
CAK extended its lead to 9-0 in the fourth when Skyler Woidtke delivered a two-run single.
The Lady Spartans pulled to within 9-2 in their half of the inning. Jamie Sharpe spoiled Cole’s no-hit bid with a leadoff single. She stole second before McKenzie Reynolds singled. Both scored when Bekka Range singled.
Sharpe, a freshman, pitched last year for Webb as an eighth-grader. “We’ve really improved if you look at where we came from,” she said. “Our freshmen and our eighth graders have never played softball. I’ve played for 11 years. It’s my job to teach these young girls and help them get better.”
CAK got those runs back in the fifth. Rice singled and scored when Breeden grounded out. McMillian also had an RBI single.
The Lady Warriors got a two-run triple from Rice and an RBI single from Breeden, who later scored on an error
“We’re extremely young. I have four eighth-graders and we’re learning,” Webb head coach Dodie Montgomery said.
