BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. – The Community Viqueens (20-2-2, 3-0) used an Annie Prince perfect game to run-rule the Cascade Lady Champions, 15-0 after five innings, on Monday night in the first edition of the “Battle Of Bedford” this season in District 9-AA. 

Already having pitched a no-hitter earlier this year against Chapel Hill, Prince struck out all 15 batters that she faced on just 55 pitches. Of those 55 pitches, 46 of them were thrown for strikes, an astoundingly high 84% strike-throwing rate.

“She [Annie Prince] was 100% locked in, and you can’t ask for any more than that,” Viqueens’ coach Cam Farrell said postgame about his star pitcher, “She said if I’m going to be the best, especially the best in this county, I’m going to have to show it, and she definitely did that. It’s her work ethic, her parents are on it, and they make sure that she’s working. It ain’t forced, she wants to, and you can’t ask for more from a pitcher like that.”

Early on, it looked like Prince might have to carry the Viqueens in a low-scoring pitchers’ duel. After Anna Haskins led the game off with a single, freshman left fielder Mattie Maxey, who finished 3-4 at the plate with a walk and three RBIs, launched a two-run home run over the wall in center field to give Community an early 2-0 lead. 

Mattie Maxey (28) launches a first-inning 2-run home run to center field at Cascade on Monday. Maxey finished 3-4 at the plate with three RBIs, a walk, and the home run.

David Smith

“I always say that she [Mattie Maxey] doesn’t look like a freshman, and man, she doesn’t look like a freshman,” said Farrell, “She’s focused and locked in, I don’t have to say anything to her. She wants to work; she’s asking me all the time if she can stay and hit, and you can see what that does. The kid is just a dog, man. Having a freshman like that is huge.” 

Community would not score again until the fourth inning, but not without generating opportunities with runners in scoring position. In the top of the second, the Viqueens loaded the bases following a Maxey walk, but Lady Champs’ starter, Jocelyn Laughlin, induced a ground ball back to her from Haylee Webb to escape the jam unscathed. 

In the top of the third following a strikeout to open the inning, Laughlin stranded Taylor Wessner on second following a one-out single and a stolen base to keep the score at 2-0.

However, in the fourth inning, the dam finally broke. The Viqueens strung together base hits in early counts to the tune of seven runs, nearly breaking the 10-run run-rule mark before an Anna Haskins flyout ended the inning at 9-0. 

Annie Prince got things started with a leadoff single, Haskins singled, then Maxey drove home Prince on an RBI single of her own. Webb singled and took second base on the throw in, then Wessner drove home two more runs with a single of her own, also taking second on the throw in before Carlie Blanton smacked a 2-RBI double to balloon the lead to 8-0.

Taylor Wessner (13) in the batter's box during an at-bat on Monday. Wessner finished 3-4 at the plate with a triple, a double, and three RBIs.

David Smith

Prince capped off the inning with an RBI double, tacking on the final run of the frame.

In the fifth inning, Maxey led things off with a single, and then Haylee Webb crushed her first home run of the season: a two-run no-doubt homer to left field that grew the lead to 11-0. Four runs and three outs later, the Viqueens reached the final tally of 15 runs on 18 total hits. 

Haskins went 2-5 at the plate, Maxey finished the aforementioned 3-4, and Webb went 3-4 with three RBIs, the homer, and a double. Gracie Daniel went 1-4, Wessner finished 3-4 with a double, a triple, and three RBIs, and Kamryn Farrell went 2-3 with four RBIs of her own and a double. 

“One thing I love about this team is that there is no jealousy,” Farrell concluded, “they’re all hyping each other up whether they’re in the dugout or out on the field, and I love it.”

Community is set to host Chapel Hill on Thursday night with first-pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m.