Ringgold wakes up, routs Coahulla Creek

photo Devan Brown

RINGGOLD 14, COAHULLA CREEKRinggold - 103- 100 - 9 -- 14 16 3Coahulla Creek - 100 - 000 - -- 1 3 3WP: Jordan Keith, CG, 0 ER. LP: Erin Harden. HR: Devan Brown (R). 2B: Brown (R). Other highlights: Brown 3-4, 3 RBIs, 2 runs; Chandlar Turner 4-5, 3 RBIs; Taylor Chadwick, Abby McKinney, Aimee Davidson 2 hits each (R); Madeline Kalafut 2-3 (CC). Records: Ringgold 6-3, 3-0 5-AAA; Coahulla Creek 4-3, 2-1.

VARNELL, Ga. -- To say the Ringgold High School softball team has a unique roster makeup would be an understatement, but so far it's worked just fine.

Fresh off a Class AAA state-runner-up finish, the Lady Tigers are a mixture of experience with five seniors and youth with 12 combined freshmen and sophomores. Tuesday, in a 14-1 Region 5-AAA win at Coahulla Creek, Ringgold showed what it's capable of despite a slow start, as two seniors and a freshman led the way.

Senior shortstop Devan Brown was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, while senior first baseman Chandlar Turner was 4-for-5 with three RBIs in a 16-hit attack. Freshman pitcher Jordan Keith won her first varsity game with a complete-game three-hitter.

"We had a great weekend, but they were kind of dragging today," said Ringgold coach Rachel Hodge, who was not pleased with a start in which her team committed two early errors, did not execute bunts and ran themselves out of a potential big inning. "When we woke up, though, they had a great last few innings.

"Jordan did a great job, and if our defense had been behind her in the first inning she would have had a shutout. She hit all her spots and battled. I'm so proud of her in what was her first start. Getting into region play, the more depth you have, the better you are. This is really the first year we've had a lot of depth at a lot of positions, which is such a great asset to this team."

Ringgold led 5-1 entering the seventh inning, when Brown squared up a pitch leading off the inning and deposited it over the left-field fence. Eight consecutive hits followed, including a double by Brown and two hits by Turner, as the Lady Tigers sent 15 batters to the plate in scoring nine times.

Brown, committed to Kennesaw State University, sees the same potential as her coach in this year's talented and somewhat green group.

"The home run felt great, especially after getting chewed out," said a laughing Brown, who like the other seniors has made three consecutive trips to the Elite Eight in Columbus. "We needed something to get us going, so I guess it came at the right time. We have speed, power and talent everywhere on this team, and the younger girls seem to have a lot of respect for the seniors and they definitely have a lot of potential.

Taylor Chadwick, Abby McKinney and Aimee Davidson had two hits each for Ringgold, with Caroline Sholl scoring three times. Madeline Kalafut had two of Coahulla Creek's three hits.

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.

Upcoming Events