East Marion made strides as a program in winning its first-ever playoff series in Round 1, but the Lady Eagles ran into a familiar roadblock in Round 2. In a road doubleheader Friday, Nanih Waiya eliminated the Lady Eagles after a pair of run-rule contests.
Head coach Mandell Echols attributed the 12-2 and 13-3 losses to simple mistakes that his Lady Eagles (11-12) made that snowballed over the course of both games.
“Pitching was pretty good. They did what they were supposed to do – throw strikes. We didn’t have many walks,” Echols said. “We made an error, threw it in the dugout, booted a ball and ended up giving them two runs (to start things in Game 1).”
In Game 1, East Marion trailed 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, when the dam broke quickly. Nanih Waiya plated three runs by the time East Marion recorded two outs, but then the inability to find the strike zone cost the road team. Following an error and a hit batter, Kylie Watts walked five batters in a row, allowing five more runs to score.
The Lady Eagles kept the game alive with an RBI single by Adrinae Aikens in the top of the fifth inning, followed by a steal of home by Kayleigh Allen, but Nanih Waiya scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull off a 12-2 win.
Then in Game 2, Nanih Waiya scored runs in every inning, eventually prevailing 13-3 in a six-inning contest. Hayden Jackson recorded the team’s lone RBI, while Watts and Charlie Smith each recorded a hit.
Echols said the way the season ended may have been a disappointment, but he’ll forever remember the group he dubbed the “East Marion 10.” Whether it was the team’s upperclassmen, underclassmen or middle schoolers, everyone played their part all year and fought for the cause.
Looking ahead to next year, Echols senses a newfound feeling surrounding the softball program – excitement.
“We have some sixth graders coming in that are playing out at The Yards. They’re playing pretty well, the young girls, and they’re excited about it,” Echols explained. “They’re like, ‘When’s tryouts? When’s tryouts?’ They realize they have a chance to play in high school.
“I think we’ll be OK.”
