UNIONVILLE, Tenn. – Five days after losing at Community via a walk-off for the second-consecutive game, Chapel Hill’s Lady Rockets (22-10, 6-2) overcame a 3-run deficit against the Viqueens (28-4-2, 8-0) in upset fashion to win the Region 5-AA Championship on Wednesday.

“We didn’t play any defense,” Community Head Coach Cam Farrell said postgame after the Viqueens committed two errors on the night. “We didn’t make plays when we should have made plays, we let runners get over and then you have a couple of their kids with big sticks and they come up and hit. One home run here or there is not as big of a deal, but it’s a big deal when you have multiple runners on base because we couldn’t make plays. We came out OK, but we just had no energy moving throughout the game, like we had zero energy. We just have to lock in and if we can’t lock in we’re going to get ourselves in trouble, that’s just how it works.”

Chapel Hill finished the game with three home runs, but of the five runs scored with Viqueens starter, Annie Prince, in the circle, only one of them was earned. Prince finished with 5.0 innings of work, giving up six hits and one walk while striking out just four batters on 82 pitches. Taylar Wessner came on to start the sixth inning, giving up three earned runs on three hits and two walks to go with three strikeouts on 41 pitches.

Meanwhile for the Lady Rockets, Taylor Moreland threw a complete game in the circle, giving up five runs with three earned on eight hits and three walks while striking out five batters on 106 pitches. 

Community came out of the gates looking like its offense would continue its strong performance from Monday’s 14-hit night against Lewis County by taking a three-run lead into the third inning. Mattie Maxey got things started in the bottom of the first with a one-out single into center followed by a two-out RBI-single by Taylar Wessner to jump in front, 1-0. Wessner took second on the throw home, and then Gracie Daniel drove her home with an RBI-single of her own to close the first.

The Viqueens tacked on another run in the second after Alana Tate was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and after stealing second, Tate came around to score when Annie Prince’s bunt pop-out to first drew an errant throw into centerfield to put Community up 3-0. Chapel Hill starter, Taylor Moreland, settled down to limit the damage, bringing her offense up for the top of the third.  

A leadoff home run from Emory Hall seemed to jump-start the visitors. Chapel Hill added another run to trim the lead to 3-2 going into the home-half. Before the hosts came up to the plate, Farrell gathered his team around the dugout and delivered a spirited message that could be heard just about everywhere in the ballpark.

“The message was that we had a plan coming in and we just didn’t really carry it out. I told ‘em that there’s no sense in sitting around pouting when we’re not locked in and we’re not following what we talked about we would do,” Farrell explained. “I hate losing, but Chapel Hill played ball. You’ve gotta come out and play at this point.”

Moreland put up a zero, but not before the Viqueens put two runners on. However, a groundout to short stranded two of the eight total runners Community left on base in the game. 

The Lady Rockets threatened again in the top of the fourth, but a strike home from Alana Tate in center field kept the tying run from touching the plate, momentarily preserving the slim one-run lead.

The Viqueens stranded another runner in scoring position in the bottom of the inning following Anna Haskins’ one-out double to the wall in right-center field. 

In the top of the fifth, Chapel Hill found itself with runners on second and third with just one out, threatening to take its first lead of the night. The visitors would do just that with a two-out, two-strike three-run home run deep to center field from Ella Chilton to go in front, 5-3.

However, the Viqueens would respond, plating two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. Alana Tate reached base with a one-out single up the middle, and then Annie Prince doubled her home to cut the lead to one. Running for Prince, Alana Clark would come home with two outs after back-to-back wild pitches from Moreland allowed the hosts to plate the tying run to close the inning.

Wessner replaced Prince in the circle to start the sixth inning, but she was immediately greeted with a loud solo shot off the bat of Haddie Van Patten over the right-center field wall to put Chapel Hill ahead for good, 6-5. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Carlie Blanton worked a two-out walk, but after Victoria Wells came on to run for Blanton and stole second, she was left stranded to end the inning.

“We did some stuff that we normally don’t do at the plate, but on a positive note, they will be fine,” Farrell said. “They can hit, they can play ball, it’s just that we were not patient.”

Chapel Hill tacked on two insurance runs to start the seventh after Van Patten yanked a 2-RBI double down the right-field line to give the Lady Rockets an 8-5 lead.

Moreland set down the hosts in order to seal the first win in five tries against Community this season for Chapel Hill, sending the Viqueens to Camden Central for the state-sectional round on Friday in the process.

“It [Friday] just depends on how they respond, that’s what it is going to boil down to. We’ll see what we’re made of,” Farrell concluded. “We’ll see how we do and how we respond to this…I would like to say they’re going to come out swinging, but it’s up to them. They’re gonna have to be ready to rock ‘n roll.”

“Knowing the girls, I think they’ll come out ready to go, but at this point you shouldn’t have to hype ‘em up, like everybody should be ready. We just gotta figure it out.”

Community suffers just its fourth loss of the season and will travel to Region 6-AA Champions, Camden Central, on Friday night with a spot in the Class AA State Tournament on the line with first-pitch TBA.