MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Community Viqueens (31-3-2, 8-0) started off on the right foot in the Class AA State Tournament with a 4-1 win over the Kingston Yellowjackets (20-3, 9-1) on Wednesday afternoon at Starplex Field #1. 

Annie Prince finished with a season-high 17 strikeouts for the Viqueens, giving up just one earned run on three hits and three walks in 7.0 innings of work on 103 pitches. 

Sailor Presley got the start for Kingston and struck out 11 batters herself, but she gave up four runs with three earned on seven hits and two walks on 108 pitches in 6.0 innings.

The Lady Jackets took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Presley launched a one-out solo home run over the left field wall, but Community’s Taylar Wessner responded with a two-out solo shot of her own in the home half to tie the game at 1-1. 

“I told ‘em beforehand, it’s the eight best teams in the state. We’re at the State Tournament and these are the eight best teams in our division, so you’re going to have kids that find a ball,” said Viqueens’ coach Cam Farrell. We can’t freak out and lose our minds, and she [Prince] didn’t. She laughed it off and she moved on. I wasn’t going to pitch to [Presley] to begin with because looking them up beforehand, she’s a dawg, but Annie settled back in and I’m super proud of her and proud of the team.”

Prince struck out the side to start the second, and then Community took the lead with a two-out RBI bloop-single from Anna Haskins to drive home Kamryn Farrell from second. Farrell worked a one-out walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch from Presley, and eventually came home to score the Viqueens second run of the game. 

After intentionally walking Presley with one on and two outs in the third, Prince stranded a pair of Lady Jacket runners after inducing a routine pop-fly to center from Rhyan Henslee to end the threat. 

Wessner led off the bottom of the inning with her second hit of the game – a single into left – and after stealing second, she came around to score on a Carlie Blanton RBI-single into right field to double the Viqueens lead to 3-1. 

“Taylar [Wessner] is that kid, man. She’s just playing ball; no concerns, she’s just out here doing what she’s done since she was a little kid and I love it,” Farrell said. Her leadership…she doesn’t say anything but she just leads by example, and I’m super thrilled and pleased with that. Irreplaceable – she’s rockin 'and rollin.”

After getting the first two outs with relative ease, Prince gave up a single to Mylah Dryman and then hit Avery Branham to put the tying run on base for the Lady Jackets. However, Prince once again negated the threat, this time by striking out Madison Weaver on three pitches to end the frame.

Presley kept Community off the scoreboard in the fourth, followed by Prince striking out the side in the top of the fifth. Mattie Maxey led off the bottom of the inning by reaching first with a hard-hit ground ball that trickled into left field before Wessner moved her to second on a groundout to third. Maxey stole third on what looked like a delayed steal, and then she came home to score on an RBI-double into the left-center field gap from Gracie Daniel to extend the lead to three runs, 4-1.

“We got some hits today and we just have to keep taking it play by play, one play at a time,” Farrell said. 

Prince stranded a runner on second in the sixth following a one-out single down the line in right. Then in the seventh with the tying run at the plate, she emphatically slammed the door shut on the Lady Jackets by striking out Henslee for her 17th punch-out of the game.

Anna Haskins went 1-4 with an RBI, Taylar Wessner finished 2-3 with an RBI and a home run, and Carlie Blanton went 2-3 with an RBI. Gracie Daniel went 1-3 with a double and an RBI, and Alana Tate finished 1-1 with a walk, a HBP, and a triple to go along with a pair of stolen bases. 

The Viqueens advance to take on the reigning Class AA State Champions, Liberty Creek, in the 1-0 game with first-pitch set for later today at roughly 5:30 p.m.