Too Little, Too Late as Coalfield Falls to Harriman 11-4
By Terry Futrell
Take away the disastrous bottom of the third inning and the Coalfield Lady Jackets tied the Harriman Lady Devils in their District 3-A Softball Tournament semifinal match. Unfortunately, for the Lady Jackets, that half-inning just won’t go away and the ladies in orange entered the fifth inning trailing 9-0. Coalfield made things interesting as they put four runs on the board over the next two innings. But it was too little, too late and Harriman cruised to an 11-4 victory, a spot in the district finals, and a guaranteed berth in regional competition.
A quick look at some key game stats reveals no significant difference between the two teams. Harriman had 11 hits; Coalfield had eight. Harriman batters struck out five times, Coalfield batters only three. So, how did Harriman chalk up a seven point victory margin? Two additional stats give us a clue. Harriman committed only two errors, while Coalfield committed five. No Coalfield batters drew a walk from Harriman pitcher Autumn Phillips. On the flip side, Harriman batters drew four walks from Coalfield pitchers. Harriman’s Micaela Goins walked twice as Coalfield tried to avoid giving the slugger a good opportunity to connect with the ball. In addition to the four walks, four Harriman batters were hit by Coalfield pitches and took a free ride to first base.
The errors committed by Coalfield seemed uncharacteristic of the team that normally exhibits good fielding. Perhaps the pressure of the game was a factor. Perhaps remembrances of two previous battles with Harriman this season, both won by the Lady Devils, took away the edge that was so critical against Harriman’s hard hitters.
Coalfield led off in the first inning with a single by Mikayla Heidle, who eventually made it to third, but was stranded when Anna Smith hit a grounder to third base. Harriman responded with a single by Ananda Bertram, two walks, and a single by Phillips. Bertram scored on a wild pitch. A double play by Coalfield second baseman Leeah Henry held Harriman to a 1-0 lead.
Things really went south for Coalfield in the bottom of the third as 13 Harriman batters marched to the plate. Harlea Shillings hit a pop fly, but reached base on a Coalfield error. With the count two and two, Coalfield pitcher Anna Smith fired one past Micaela Goins, who went down swinging. Phillips was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second. Lily Taylor singled on a hard grounder to left field, scoring Shillings. Breeanna Hickey then hit a fly ball and reached base on a Coalfield error – two Harriman runners scored.
With two out in the bottom of the third, the Lady Devils had only just begun. Olivia Goins reached base on a Coalfield error, scoring Hickey. Bertram was hit by a pitch, followed by successive singles by Aleena Goldston and Shillings, scoring Olivia Goins and Bertram. Micaela Goins then drew a walk, and Phillips reached base on a Coalfield error. With what must have been a sigh of relief, Coalfield finally closed out the inning, having given up seven additional runs to Harriman. The Lady Devils’ lead was now 8-0.
After Harriman put an additional run on the board in the fourth, Coalfield batters seemed to come alive in the top of the fifth. Alexis Morrison and Henry hit consecutive singles, scoring Morrison. Later in the inning, Coalfield put together consecutive hits when Malachi Armes doubled to center field and Mackenzy Morgan singled to right field, scoring Armes. The inning closed with Harriman leading 9-3.
Harriman added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth with singles by Phillips and Taylor. Hickey also reached based on an error by Coalfield, scoring Phillips. Taylor scored on a passed ball shortly before Bertram struck out to close the inning. Harriman led 11-3 after five innings.
Coalfield put one more run on the board in the top of the sixth inning. Carlee Keys doubled on a ground ball to left field and scored on an error by the Harriman outfield. Taylor Landrum later singled on an infield grounder, but was stranded as the inning closed with Harriman’s lead cut to 11-4.
It was three-up-an-three-down for Harriman in the bottom of the sixth, as it was for Coalfield in the top of the seventh. Harriman walked away with an 11-4 victory and remained undefeated in District 3-A for the 2019 season.
Coalfield plays Wartburg on Friday in the losers bracket final. The winner must then immediately face a fresh Harriman Team in the tournament finals. Harriman must be beaten twice to lose the championship.
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