Eagleville’s softball team made history on Saturday.
The Lady Eagles won the school’s first-ever state championship in any sport by defeating district rival Huntland 5-3 in the Class A state tournament at StarPlex.
It was the seventh meeting between the two teams this season, and while Huntland won four of the seven, Eagleville (21-8) won the last three, including the region championship and two matchups in the state tournament.
“This is a great day for our community and the support we have here today,” Eagleville coach Bridgette Sanders said. “The girls have worked so hard, and I can’t take all of the credit. My coaches, Thomas Bain is one of the most knowledgeable people about softball around and that I have ever known.”
Huntland scored a single run in the first inning on an error as Mattie Danley reached base, allowing Bailey Morris to score after she singled earlier in the inning.
Eagleville answered in its half as it batted around and tagged Florida State commit, junior Ashtyn Danley, with three hits and scored four time. The Eagles also were helped out by two Huntland errors.
In the third inning, Eagleville added one more as Abby Stokes reached on a fielder’s choice to score Bella Bain.
In the fifth, Danley took a pitch from Eagleville’s Addisyn Linton over the fence to make it a 5-3 game.
In the next inning, Huntland’s Ryley Brennan singled and Joey May stepped up and attempted to hit it out of the yard to tie the game, but Eagles center fielder Zoe Ellis made a catch for an out near the fence.
“It just came toward my glove and I caught it,” Ellis said of the catch. “We have a great group of girls and they are just losing me, so there is no reason that they can’t do it again if they stay focused.”
Huntland would get no closer. In the final inning, Dara Jernigan hit a come-backer to Linton, but Morris had a hit and an intentional walk was issued to Danley. With two outs, a fly ball was hit to Emmaline Whitt. She moved under it, caught the ball and the celebration began for the Lady Eagles.
“I was thinking about catching the ball now and not dropping it,” Eagleville Whitt said.
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