The Community Viqueens beat the Summertown Lady Eagles, 2-0, to win the Region 5-AA Tournament Championship thanks to Annie Prince's no-hitter.
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A week after making history by winning the district championship for the first time since 1989, the Community Viqueens won their second consecutive Region Championship, this time against the visiting Summertown Lady Eagles in the Region 5-AA title game, 2-0, behind Annie Prince’s complete-game no-hitter on Wednesday.
Prince, the Viqueens ace, got the start in the circle, throwing seven complete innings with 10 strikeouts and four walks on just 94 pitches. She did hit one batter in the seventh inning, but her devastating changeup kept the Lady Eagles’ hitters at bay all evening.
Summertown’s Abrianna Davis was no slouch in the circle herself, going all six innings for the Lady Eagles. She gave up two unearned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out one on just 73 pitches.
In a game that lasted just 1 hour and 15 minutes, the pitcher’s duel became a battle of who could manage to scratch across a run first, and the hosts managed to do just that in the fifth inning thanks to the bottom half of the lineup.
After a leadoff double into right field by Kailani Azzer – the first extra-base hit for either team – Carlie Blanton dribbled a two-strike pitch in the to the third baseman, Hannah Jones, who hesitated on the throw to first for just a moment with Azzer threatening to run that allowed Blanton to reach safely. A Kenzie Tucker sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third with just one out, bringing up the ninth batter in the order in Brookyln Yoes.
After taking the first pitch for a strike, Yoes pounced on the second, grounding one to the hot corner that proved to be too much for Jones to deal with. Azzer came home to score to put the Viqueens up 1-0 with Blanton moving to third base still with just one out in the inning.
There was still more work to be done, and with leadoff hitter Anna Haskins at the plate, Community looked poised to blow the game open. On the first pitch, catcher Abrianna Taylor fired a snap throw to third base, trying to steal an out, but the throw sailed into left field, allowing Blanton to come home to double Community’s lead to 2-0. Yoes was sent home as well, but she was thrown out at the plate.
Davis was able to retire Haskins on the next pitch with a pop-up into foul territory to end the inning, but the damage was done.
Prince issued a leadoff walk in the sixth, but after inducing a double play from the very next batter, she struck out Summertown’s leadoff hitter, McKenzie Runnels, after an epic eight-pitch at-bat.
After Community stranded Gracie Daniel on second after her two-out double in the bottom of the sixth, Prince came back out to the circle knowing she needed just three more outs. However, she issued a leadoff walk yet again, this time to Katelyn Gilliam on just four pitches. She settled down to get Anistyn Larue to pop out to short, but then she hit Hannah Jones to put the tying runner on first base with just one out.
As the crowd began to tense up, Prince did the opposite, coming back to strike out Reagan Burleson on three pitches before in inducing a pop-up to the outfield grass that the second baseman, Gracie Daniel, was able to haul in for the 21st and final out to complete Prince’s no-hitter and clinch Community’s second consecutive Region Championship.
The Viqueens improve to 25-11 (6-2) and will host Cheatham County in the sub-state round with a state tournament appearance on the line. That game is currently scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Friday evening, weather permitting.