MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Community Viqueens (31-3-2, 8-0) committed five errors and left seven runners on base in a 7-0 defeat against the defending TSSAA Class AA State Champions, Liberty Creek (30-2, 8-0), on Wednesday night at Starplex Field #1.

Annie Prince, who threw 103 pitches in the win over Kingston earlier in the day, managed to get through five innings giving up just one run, but then the floodgates opened up in the top of the sixth inning as the Wolves eventually knocked her from the game. In all, Prince gave up six runs with four earned on eight hits and three walks while striking out 10 on 106 pitches in 5.2 innings of work. She also gave up a season-high three home runs.

Annie Prince (14) went 5.2 innings and struck out 10 batters on 106 pitches in her second game in the circle on Wednesday.

Noah Maddox

Taylar Wessner came on to get the other four outs, giving up one unearned run on one hit and two walks on 24 pitches.

“I think we get so used to Annie striking folks out that we just get a little complacent and on our heels in the field,” said Viqueens head coach Cam Farrell. “We had two plays where we’re looking at the infield to come to the outfield to make the play. We just weren’t ball ready with some of our movements and you can’t do that. You’ve got to be running and diving and sliding and coming to get the ball, and that’s just something we have to correct and get better at. ”

Kaylor West got the start in the circle for the Wolves, pitching a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts. West gave up six hits and two walks, but managed to keep the Viqueens from pushing across a run for seven complete innings.

After Prince escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second, Liberty Creek finally broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third inning with a solo home run from Maddie Floyd out to straightaway center field to put the Wolves ahead, 1-0. 

Mattie Maxey roped a one-out double in the bottom of the inning, but she ended up being stranded at third following West’s strikeout of Carlie Blanton. 

Mattie Maxey (28) went 1-3 with the only XBH for the Viqueens - a standup double - in Wednesday's loss to Liberty Creek.

Noah Maddox

In the fourth, Prince was able to work around a pair of errors in the outfield to put up another zero, and then she stranded one runner in the fifth to keep her team within one run. 

In the bottom of the fifth, the Viqueens had their best opportunity to score after Alana Tate led off with a single into center. After a pair of strikeouts, Farrell put Tate in motion, drawing a throw from the catcher, Kenslee Gregory, that went over Maddie Floyd’s head at third and into left field. Farrell, sensing this might be his team’s best chance to manufacture a run on the night, waved Tate home with zero hesitation, but she was gunned down by a good throw from Presley Brineger to preserve the narrow lead. 

“That was a maybe yes, maybe no…I took that chance and it did not pay off,” Farrell said.

With momentum having swung towards the Wolves dugout after the fifth inning, Gregory led off reaching first safely in the top of the sixth with a ground ball that went right between the wickets at third for an error. Hailey Langston followed that up with a bloop single that landed fair by two feet down the right field line to give Liberty Creek runners at first and second with nobody out. 

Prince settled down to induce a weak pop-out to Haylee Webb at second, and then Blanton gunned down Gregory trying to steal third for the second out of the inning.

However, the nine-hole hitter, Addi Kiser, found a pitch she could handle from Prince, lacing an RBI-double that bounced over the wall in center to double the Wolves’ lead, 2-0. The lineup flipped over, and Malle Grizzle effectively took the life out of the Viqueens after she crushed a 2-run home run to put Liberty Creek ahead, 4-0. Emerson Fitzwilson followed that up with a perfectly placed bunt-single, and then Floyd capped off the monster inning with her second home run of the night to extend the lead to 6-0 and knock Prince from the game.

“We can’t do anything about the home runs, but here’s the thing, that team can hit. They don’t have a weak spot in their lineup,” said Farrell. “They’re gonna hit, but we have to make plays and we have to hit as well, and we did not hit. She struck us out 11 times, but what she didn’t strike out, we’re popping up or blooping and we’re not really solid. I told ‘em, we’re in the box looking back into the glove when we need to be playing in front of the plate and being aggressive doing it, and we just didn’t match up with them hitting. It’s as simple as that. Then, frustration sets in, and I told ‘em you can’t do that at the state tournament. You’ve got to keep it together, and you’ve got to just keep rolling.”

Following Floyd’s homer, Wessner came in for Prince to close the inning. Liberty Creek tacked on in the top of the seventh with an unearned run to reach the final margin, 7-0.

Mattie Maxey went 1-3 with a double, Taylar Wessner went 1-3, and Gracie Daniel finished 1-3.

Gracie Daniel (4) lines her only base hit of the night against Liberty Creek. She finished 1-3 at the plate.

Noah Maddox

Haylee Webb, Kamryn Farrell, and Alana Tate all went 1-3 at the plate as well for the Viqueens.

Community falls into the loser’s bracket and will face elimination on Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. against Westview for the right to a rematch with Liberty Creek.