That kid [Wessner] is very selfless, she works hard, she’s quiet but does what she needs to do, and she got in and got it done.”

Viqueens' Head Coach Cam Farrell

UNIONVILLE, Tenn. – The Community Viqueens (27-3-2, 8-0) walked-off the Lady Rockets from Chapel Hill (20-10, 6-2) for the second-consecutive game with an eighth-inning two-out solo home run from Taylar Wessner to clinch back-to-back District 9-AA Championships on Friday night, 2-1.

In a pitcher’s duel between District 9-AA Pitcher of the Year, Annie Prince, and Chapel Hill’s superstar sophomore in Taylor Moreland, it came down to the two seniors on the hosts’ roster – Carlie Blanton and Taylar Wessner.

“Before we played, I pulled my two seniors aside and told them that I’m moving both of y’all up in the lineup because you guys are experienced and you don’t buckle under pressure,” said Viqueens Head Coach Cam Farrell. “I put one in the 3-hole [Carlie Blanton] and the other at 4 [Wessner]. They were patient, and when she [Wessner] needed to do it, she got it done. I couldn’t ask for more than that. That kid is very selfless, she works hard, she’s quiet but does what she needs to do, and she got in and got it done. I just can’t ask for more than that.”

Blanton, who is the everyday catcher for Community, came up with the goods all the way back in the first inning with an RBI-single to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Blanton drove home Mattie Maxey after Maxey worked a one-out walk and then stole second to get into scoring position. 

Moreland settled down afterwards for the Lady Rockets and held the Viqueens scoreless for the next seven innings. This allowed Chapel Hill to get the run back in the top of the fourth when Ella Chilton ran into a two-out screwball that left the yard over the center-field wall to tie the game at 1-1.

“Annie [Prince] doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and I will 100% take the blame on that home run because I threw that kid [Chilton] a screwball and I had no business throwing her a screwball,” Farrell admitted. “She [Chilton] did exactly what she normally does with inside pitches, and so Annie [Prince] understands, alright, that’s on you, Coach. She won’t ever tell me that, but then she gets right back to it.”

Prince started and finished the night in the circle for the Viqueens, pitching all 8.0 innings and giving up just the one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out 12 batters on 110 pitches.

Neither team scored again before the eighth, but the visitors threatened to take the lead in the top of the seventh after cleanup-hitter Sydney Calderaro yanked a leadoff single into left field. Calderaro hustled and found herself in scoring position after Maxey slipped in left, giving the Lady Rockets a runner in scoring position with nobody out. Marley Chilton bunted the runner to third, but Prince punched out Haddie Van Patten before inducing an inning-ending pop-up to first by Harper Hall. 

“When we were 1-1 in the seventh inning, I told them, now we’ll see who the dawgs are – either you can lay down and get beat, or you can be dawgs and get it done, and they bowed up and got it done,” said Farrell. “I could hear kids in the dugout saying ‘we’re not losing, we’re gonna get this done,’ and that's what they did.”

Moreland set down the Viqueens in order to send the game into extras. Prince then did the same to the Lady Rockets in the top of the eighth, setting the stage for Taylar Wessner to launch a two-out no-doubter over the center-field wall for her fourth home run of the season. Wessner’s bomb broke a streak of 11-consecutive batters retired by Moreland in the circle.

“Moreland is a dawg. That kid, she has ice in her veins, she steps up and she deals,” said Farrell. “They know when we are facing a pitcher like that, it’s going to be a war. It’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be a big blowout, you’re going to have to take what you can get and stay in the fight. That’s what they did, and it’s gotten to the point where I don’t even have to explain that because they know that we’re in it, and we’re going to be in it for the long haul so let’s get to work. They know that, and they stay with it.”

Moreland finished with 7.2 innings of work, giving up two earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out six batters on 113 pitches.

Farrell also made time to shout out the parents helping contribute to the winning environment that Community has managed to create within its softball program.

“It’s a blessing to have these kids, and their parents…their parents stay out of the way, they encourage their kids, and they don’t make excuses for ‘em. To me, trying to have a program, if you don’t have that, you’re not going to have a successful program. I don’t care who you have, if you have parents that ruin it, it’s going to do just that, and our parents are all tight-knit and they don’t make excuses for the kids. They make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to do,” he said.

After losing the district title in 2023, 11-1, against the Lady Rockets, Community has now won two-consecutive District Championships against Chapel Hill, setting the stage for a deep run moving forward in the postseason.

“This one is special because number one, they’ve busted their tails. Two, – everybody knows this – when I came here, they talked about the rivalry with Chapel Hill, and I told them it’s not a rivalry because we’ve been beaten like 50-straight times,” Farrell said. “That’s not a rivalry. This is the fourth time we’ve played ‘em, and we’ve beat ‘em four times. That to me is exciting and shows how hard they work, and we’re here at Community.”

“We finished number one and we’re here at Community and we’re getting it done at Community. That’s the big thing is to be HERE and get it done.” 

Community is scheduled to host Lewis County in the first game of the Region 5-AA Tournament on Monday night, weather permitting.