After crushing perennial 4-AAA power Maryville twice to capture district tourney, Farragut softball knocks out defending state champs
Proudly holding the District 4-AAA Softball Tournament championship plaque are Farragut’s two seniors, Lakyn Moore, left, and Joely Gruhn. Moore, staff pitching ace, was named tournament Most Valuable Player. “Lakyn had a great tournament, she went 4-0,” said first-year FHS head coach Nick Green, a long-time Lady Admirals assistant coach. “She was great tonight hitting the strike zone.” Four other Lady Admirals earned All-tournament honors: junior Bailey Myers (nine hits), sophomore Cameron Young (nine hits) and freshmen Avery “Ace” Strickland (12 hits) and Lauren Brakovec (two hits in championship game). They led the way as No. 1 seed Farragut drilled No. 2 seed Maryville 11-3 Tuesday, May 7, in the winners bracket final, and then capped things off by drubbing the Lady Red Rebels 10-2 Wednesday, May 8, at William Blount High School to claim the crown — in addition to winning first-place regular season honors. Other contributors in the May 8 title game were Kallie Overcash with two singles and two RBI; an RBI single from Katie Tuggle; a two-RBI single by Sarah Livingston; an RBI double from Autumn Caywood; and courtesy runner Vivian Boles scoring a run.
The Lady Admirals got some big contributions from a pair of freshmen to rally past defending Class AAA state champion Powell 3-2 in the Region 2-AAA Tournament semifinals Monday night, May 13, before a packed and boisterous house at FHS’s Bellamy Field,
For three innings, Farragut senior pitcher Lakyn Moore (18-4) was locked in a scoreless duel with Powell ace Allison Farr. Moore struck out five consecutive Lady Panthers at one point in the contest, but Powell, the District 3-AAA runner-up, scored first.
Powell (35-8) got a two-run homer from first baseman Haley Schultz with one out in the top of the fourth. The rally started with a single by Hayden Dye, who came home on the round-tripper.
The Lady Admirals (34-7) squandered scoring chances in the first second and third innings respectively, but they would cash in during the bottom of the fourth when it appeared Farr would escape any damage.
Katie Tuggle drew a leadoff walk to open the frame and was lifted for courtesy runner Vivian Boles, who was gunned down attempting to steal. Sarah Livingston tripled, but was later thrown out at home plate when Devon Weller reached on a fielder’s choice.
Jordan Kanipe reached on an error, Powell’s third of the game, and FHS head coach Nick Green called on freshman backup catcher Autumn Caywood to pinch hit for Joely Gruhn.
Caywood doubled home Weller and Kanipe to knot the game 2-2. Gruhn, who re-entered to run, stole third and came home with the eventual winning run.
“We ran Autumn in from the bullpen to hit,” Green said. “(Assistant) coach (Judy) Siebert had said she had a good (batting practice) in the cage. She said she looked good.”
And she delivered.
“(Farr) just threw it right over the middle and I just hit it good,” Caywood said. “This feels amazing. This was a big team win for us.”
Gruhn, who scored the winning run, was equally ecstatic.
“This is just amazing, but we win as a team,” she said. “We win together.”
Moore went out for the top of the fifth, but she was chased from the circle with one out in the inning after Cayden Baker, the Lady Panthers’ leadoff hitter and shortstop, doubled.
Freshman reliever Avery Flatford walked Lily Holston, one of Knox County’s most dangerous hitters, before striking out Dye and Schultz to end the frame. She combined with Moore to fan the side in the frame.
Flatford struck out the side in the sixth and seventh, surrendering a bunt single to Baker with two outs in the top of the seventh.
“This a really big win for us,” Flatford said. “Autumn really hit a shot to tie it up and I can’t ask for a better team than the one I have behind me.
“Everybody was just amazing.”
Powell head coach Jeff Inman, who watched his squad battle through injuries and adversity all season, tipped his hat to the Lady Admirals. Powell’s newly-renovated field was destroyed by the rains that hit Knox County in late-February and early-March, and the Lady Panthers didn’t play a home game until last month.
“They’re a good team. They’re solid,” Inman said of Farragut. “If you get out of Knoxville, you’ve got a good shot. So they’ve got a good shot to go far.
“With all the things we went through, the injuries and this and that, we still got here. This has been the most frustrating season of my career. But it has nothing to do (with the players). Farragut is a good team, but we won 35 games and we’re going to the house.
“The best team in the state is going home tonight.”
