UNIONVILLE, Tenn. – The Community Viqueens (28-3-2, 8-0) started out slow, but after Annie Prince’s go-ahead solo HR in the bottom of the fourth, the hosts then erupted for five runs in the sixth inning to keep their season alive, winning 8-2 in the Region 5-AA Semifinal against Lewis County (17-8, 2-4). 

“That win was huge,” Viqueens’ Head Coach Cam Farrell said. “I told ‘em, at this point, I’m not looking for a pretty win, I’m just looking for a W. I’m pleased with moving on, they get to relax, they know what they can do, so just getting out here and getting together and figuring it out, that’s what I’m most looking forward to.” 

Community figured things out in time to pull away from the Lady Panthers and starting pitcher, Brailey Carroll, sparked by Annie Prince’s second HR of the season in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead for good, 3-2. 

Carroll was eventually chased from the game in the bottom of the sixth, ending her night with 5.1 innings of work, giving up seven earned runs on 12 hits and two walks with one strikeout and four total HRs given up on 88 pitches. Addison Morgan came out in relief to get the final two outs, giving up one earned run on two hits before ending the inning.

For Community, the District 9-AA Pitcher of the Year, Annie Prince, threw a complete 7.0 innings, giving up two runs with one earned on just three hits, an uncharacteristic three walks, and 11 strikeouts on 102 pitches.

With light thunderstorms threatening to move into the area shortly after first-pitch at 5:30 p.m., neither team scored in the first inning despite the Viqueens getting two runners on base. In a 2-2 count against Lewis County’s cleanup hitter, the pitcher Carroll, a lightning delay sent both teams to their respective dugouts for 30 minutes to start the top of the second.

Following the delay, the game resumed with Prince facing the minimum in the inning after Blanton threw out Jaelin Baugh trying to steal second base.

Community threatened in the home-half when Gracie Daniel led off with a single, Alana Tate bunted her to second, and then Prince blooped a single into right to put runners on first and third with just one out. However, the inning came to a close on a rare double-play when Kamryn Farrell grounded out to first before the throw to the plate hit Farrell. The umpires ruled runner interference, calling Daniel out at the plate to end the inning.

After Prince struck out two of the three batters she faced to start the third, Community finally got on the board. Anna Haskins led off the inning with a single to center field before Mattie Maxey roped an RBI-double to the wall, giving the Viqueens a 1-0 lead. Blanton followed that up by working a walk, Taylar Wessner popped out to third, and then every runner reached base safely on Haylee Webb’s infield grounder to load the bases with one out. Daniel then doubled Community’s lead with a sac-fly before Tate was retired to end the inning with a 2-0 lead. 

However, Lewis County would immediately respond with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game. First, Lady Panthers’ leadoff batter, Makaela Dodson, worked a walk, followed by Taya Tiller reaching safely on an attempted sac-bunt. Clara Tanner’s bunt attempt was popped to Blanton for the first out, but then a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. Carroll drove home Dodson with a grounder to short, and then Baugh came up with a clutch two-out RBI-single up the middle to drive home Tiller and tie the game at 2-2. 

“We kind of came out flat tonight – I guess sometimes the weather will do that to you – but I told ‘em that you can’t play around like that because at one point we were one hit away from being in trouble,” Farrell explained. “They got it together – my senior catcher [Carlie Blanton] kinda got in there and told ‘em to get it together – and after that they came out and belted three home runs. You’ve got to be charged up and ready to go against whoever you’re playing, not just Chapel Hill, and some of that is my fault because I came out a little flat. I was wheeling and dealing on the phone all day trying to figure out what we’re going to do [schedule-wise] and I came out flat, but that won’t happen again.”

In the bottom of the fourth, Annie Prince got one run back, leading off the inning by golfing her third HR of the season over the left-field wall to put Community in front, 3-2. The Viqueens threatened with two more runners reaching base, but Carroll found a way to induce an inning-ending popout to keep the Lady Panthers within one run.

Neither team scored in the fifth, and after Prince struck out the side in the top of the sixth, the Viqueens’ offense locked in at the plate by plating five runs to blow the game wide open. 

The avalanche started with Kamryn Farrell’s leadoff HR – her second of the year – that was blasted to right, and then Mattie Maxey launched her team-leading eighth HR of the season into left to give Community a 5-2 lead. Blanton smoked a one-out double to the wall, and then Taylar Wessner hit her fifth HR of the year to right-center. This knocked Carroll from the game, but the Viqueens weren’t finished. Webb roped a double to right, and then Tate yanked an RBI-triple into right to put Community ahead, 8-2. 

Prince went 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, punching the Viqueens’ ticket to a fourth-consecutive Region Championship Game and securing her 15th win of the season in the circle. 

At the plate, the hosts tallied 14 hits as a team on the night. Anna Haskins went 1-3 with a walk, Mattie Maxey went 3-4 with two RBIs, a double, and a HR, and Carlie Blanton finished 2-3 with a walk. Taylar Wessner went 2-4 with a walk and a HR, Haylee Webb went 1-4 with a double, and Gracie Daniel went 1-3 with an RBI. Alana Tate finished 1-2 with an RBI and a triple, Annie Prince went 2-4 with a HR, and Kamryn Farrell finished 1-3 with a HR.

Community will either host Chapel Hill or travel to Summertown on Friday to try and win its third-straight Region Championship. The Lady Rockets are scheduled to play at Summertown in the other Region 5-AA Semifinal on Tuesday.