Thomas keeps Quinton close in regionals
Quinton’s softball team fought closely with elite teams in its home regional tournament.
In its first game on Sept. 29, the Savages lost 5-0 to seventh-ranked Ringling (22-3) in a pitchers dual between Quinton’s Ashley Thomas and Angel Stoker of the Blue Devils. Thomas and Stoker both had nine strikeouts through four innings.
To that point, Tayler Davison was the only baserunner in green and black, having reached on an error in the first inning. Ringling scored on a triple in the bottom of the fourth. Thomas struck out Ringling’s first two batters in the fifth, but after a couple Blue Devils dropped hits in the shallow outfield grass, Raylee Pogue hit a three-run home run.
Brylee Simmons reached across the strike zone to pull a single in the seventh, but Savannah Turpin struck out and Thomas’ hard line drive was caught at third base. Thomas totaled 13 strikeouts while Stoker, an East Central University commit, had 16.
Quinton bounced back afterwards with sound hitting in a 3-2 win against Welch (20-17).
“Sometimes we play better with a lead and with more confidence,” said Quinton coach Tara Satterfield.
Davison hit an RBI double and, two batters later, Turpin knocked a run-scoring single in the top of the first.
Simmons hit a run-scoring single in the third. Welch scored two runs on a double in the sixth. In the bottom of the seventh, Welch had a runner on second base with one out, but she was called out for runner’s interference.
Thomas struck out nine batters. Turpin went 3-for-4. Davison scored two runs. Quinton gained an early lead against 11th-ranked Davenport in the next game on Sept. 30, but saw it slip away late in a 4-3 loss.
Savannah Turpin hit an RBI double in the top of the second inning. Turpin finished with two hits.
“Savannah moved down in the lineup. We had a couple of extra days of practice. She had a great time in batting practice seeing the ball and hitting really well,” Satterfield said.
In the top of the fourth, Hanna Pitman hit a two-run single, giving Quinton a 3-0 lead. Davenport tied the game in the sixth, scoring one on an infield single by Carsyn Eversole and two on a single by Libby Bromley.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Turpin committed two errors. Then, Eversole slapped a ground ball between Pitman and first baseman Paige Hubler and reached the base before Hubler stepped on it.
Meanwhile, the winning run scored.
Thomas had six strikeouts, finishing the postseason with 55.
“The last two weeks, she picked it up and threw really well. She didn’t want the season to be over. She brought a killer instinct to regionals and hit her spots,” Satterfield said of the senior’s effort in her last games hurling in fast pitch.