Simply the best: Summertown leaves Class A with softball state crown

By Maurice Patton

MURFREESBORO – Experience on the big stage may have been the difference Friday as Summertown clinched its second Class A softball state championship in four years with a 3-0 victory over Eagleville.

Led by five seniors, Summertown broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning and added single runs in each of its final two at-bats to wrap up a 34-2-1 season and add a title to its 2018 championship – along with a runner-up finish in 2019.

“This feels like what we worked for,” said senior shortstop Kaley Campbell, the last Summertown player to handle the ball as Eagleville’s Elizabeth Cumbee hit a ground ball to second baseman Eryca Abbott that she flipped to Campbell for a game-ending force play.

“We prepared for it. It was our final destination. We put in the work. We just had to come and do what we knew to do.”

Veteran coach Greg Burleson recognized his team – which edged Huntland 2-1 on Thursday to advance to the finals – was pressing a bit early.

“They were really hungry for this,” he said. “Columbia Academy (the 2019 state champion) was great, but it kinda hurt their feelings that we didn’t win. Then we didn’t get to play last year, so they were really excited to get back.

“We had some baserunning mistakes. I felt like we squandered some chances. Then we started playing like, don’t make another mistake. We finally loosened up around the fifth inning.”

Summertown broke up eighth-grader Addi Linton’s no-hit bid as Abbott bunted for a single. Abbott moved up on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on Meg Parrott’s RBI base hit. An inning later, Claire Woods singled and Eagleville misplayed consecutive sac bunt tries to double the margin.

“It may have been nerves, but I really just think things snowballed,” Eagleville coach Bridgette Sanders said regarding her young team’s defensive miscues in the game’s late stages. “We’ve executed this week. They had one bunt that our first baseman dropped, and they kept laying it down. It’s a high-pressure situation; their whole town is here.”

Eagleville (23-10), which managed just four hits against Woods, gave up an insurance run in the seventh as Caiti Beth Gallaher, Jenna Brazier and Woods had consecutive one-out singles before Campbell grounded out. The District 8-A runner-up was unable to counter in its final at-bat.

“She’s a pretty good pitcher,” Woods said of Linton, one of Eagleville’s four eighth-graders in the starting lineup. “She spins it pretty well. We’re a pretty good hitting team. It took us a while to adjust, but once we got it, we got it.”

Just as Columbia Academy moved up from Class A to Division II-A following its ’19 title, Summertown will go to Class AA competition beginning next year.

The fact that Summertown advanced to the state tourney in each chance it had to do so during Woods’ career resonated with her and her classmates.

“We had the opportunity taken away from us (our junior year),” she said. “We wanted to make the most out if it this year.

“I love my team. These girls are my family.”

And quite a successful one. The victory represents Campbell’s sixth state championship, in 13 state tournament appearances, while Hailey Jones will earn a softball ring to go with one from volleyball last fall.

“From winning it our freshman year, to runner-up our sophomore year, to now – we went out with a bang,” Jones said. “I don’t think as a senior you could ask for more.”

It wasn’t just happenstance, Burleson said.

“I’ve been doing this 20-something years, with both baseball and softball,” he said. “This is the hardest-working group of kids I’ve ever had.”

Summertown 3, Eagleville 0

S 000 011 1 – 3 7 0
E 000 000 0 – 0 4 4

Claire Woods and Caiti Beth Gallaher. Addi Linton and Brinli Bain. W: Woods. L: Linton.

By Maurice Patton

MURFREESBORO – Experience on the big stage may have been the difference Friday as Summertown clinched its second Class A softball state championship in four years with a 3-0 victory over Eagleville.

Led by five seniors, Summertown broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning and added single runs in each of its final two at-bats to wrap up a 34-2-1 season and add a title to its 2018 championship – along with a runner-up finish in 2019.

“This feels like what we worked for,” said senior shortstop Kaley Campbell, the last Summertown player to handle the ball as Eagleville’s Elizabeth Cumbee hit a ground ball to second baseman Eryca Abbott that she flipped to Campbell for a game-ending force play.

“We prepared for it. It was our final destination. We put in the work. We just had to come and do what we knew to do.”

Veteran coach Greg Burleson recognized his team – which edged Huntland 2-1 on Thursday to advance to the finals – was pressing a bit early.

“They were really hungry for this,” he said. “Columbia Academy (the 2019 state champion) was great, but it kinda hurt their feelings that we didn’t win. Then we didn’t get to play last year, so they were really excited to get back.

“We had some baserunning mistakes. I felt like we squandered some chances. Then we started playing like, don’t make another mistake. We finally loosened up around the fifth inning.”

Summertown broke up eighth-grader Addi Linton’s no-hit bid as Abbott bunted for a single. Abbott moved up on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on Meg Parrott’s RBI base hit. An inning later, Claire Woods singled and Eagleville misplayed consecutive sac bunt tries to double the margin.

“It may have been nerves, but I really just think things snowballed,” Eagleville coach Bridgette Sanders said regarding her young team’s defensive miscues in the game’s late stages. “We’ve executed this week. They had one bunt that our first baseman dropped, and they kept laying it down. It’s a high-pressure situation; their whole town is here.”

Eagleville (23-10), which managed just four hits against Woods, gave up an insurance run in the seventh as Caiti Beth Gallaher, Jenna Brazier and Woods had consecutive one-out singles before Campbell grounded out. The District 8-A runner-up was unable to counter in its final at-bat.

“She’s a pretty good pitcher,” Woods said of Linton, one of Eagleville’s four eighth-graders in the starting lineup. “She spins it pretty well. We’re a pretty good hitting team. It took us a while to adjust, but once we got it, we got it.”

The fact that Summertown advanced to the state tourney in each chance it had to do so during Woods’ career resonated with her and her classmates.

“We had the opportunity taken away from us (our junior year),” she said. “We wanted to make the most out if it this year.

“I love my team. These girls are my family.”

And quite a successful one. The victory represents Campbell’s sixth state championship, in 13 state tournament appearances, while Hailey Jones will earn a softball ring to go with one from volleyball last fall.

“From winning it our freshman year, to runner-up our sophomore year, to now – we went out with a bang,” Jones said. “I don’t think as a senior you could ask for more.”

It wasn’t just happenstance, Burleson said.

“I’ve been doing this 20-something years, with both baseball and softball,” he said. “This is the hardest-working group of kids I’ve ever had.”

Summertown 3, Eagleville 0

S 000 011 1 – 3 7 0
E 000 000 0 – 0 4 4

Claire Woods and Caiti Beth Gallaher. Addi Linton and Brinli Bain. W: Woods. L: Linton.

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