Coming into the game, it was a must-win for Glynn Academy (14-8, 9-3). The Lady Terrors not only had six seniors to send off the right way, but a better seed for the region tournament was at stake.
“It was a good way to end the season,” head coach Dawn Ketcham said after the 2-0 win. “If we had not won, we would have been going into the tournament in fourth place. It means we would have then turned around and played the fifth place at (2 p.m.) Tuesday.”
Instead of playing an early game against the Statesboro Blue Devils, Glynn Academy will face off against the Effingham County Rebels on Tuesday afternoon.
As the Lady Terrors took the field for their Senior Night, the ball was in the hands of star pitcher Kamila Vicent. She came into the game with a 9-5 record and a 1.39 ERA. The blistering senior came to play against the Lady Cats.
After giving up a leadoff single and a stolen base, Vicent was able to stop Richmond Hill’s offense and keep the Lady Cats (10-7, 7-5) in check for the majority of the game.
With the game being another pitcher’s duel to the last out, it was only right that the player to get a rally going was Vicent. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Vicent stepped up to the plate.
On a 2-2 count, Vicent singled on a line drive to right field to get the team’s first hit of the night.
Vicent was replaced on the base paths by the speedy Olivia DeRon, with the hopes of moving her into scoring position quickly.
Catcher Madysen Wilborn would fly out on the next at-bat, unable to move DeRon into scoring position. Bella Theus stepped up to the plate looking to make her mark.
With an 0-2 count, Theus struck the ball perfectly off of pitcher Katie Really and over the fence for a 2-run home run.
As Theus rounded the bases and her teammates waiting to celebrate at home plate, the supporting fans were on their feet cheering on the Lady Terrors.
Ketcham said she never hears any outside noise but was happy to hear that the home fans were rallying on the team all night.
With a two-run lead, Vicent had the Lady Cats chasing. She struck out four and only allowed one hit before the top of the seventh.
As the top of the seventh came around, the Lady Terrors were three outs away from finishing second place in the region and making a real case to go deep in the playoffs.
Allie Washington stepped up to the plate and ripped a single into center field, bringing a late rally into the picture for Richmond Hill.
After a fly out, an error on a bunt, and a sacrifice bunt, the Lady Cats had runners on second and third with two outs. They were finally able to find some offense against Vicent and her brilliant performance on the mound.
With the home plate umpire saying the count was full and the fans on their feet, it was only right that senior night ended in the hands of their senior pitcher.
Vicent struck out the final Richmond Hill batter swinging for the complete game shutout and her 12th strikeout of the night.
“Lights out, she pitched a three-hitter,” Ketcham said of Vicent’s performance. “We could not ask for anything more from here.
She’s doing her job lights out in the middle and I’m very proud of her.”
Vicent finished the regular season with 137 strikeouts, dropping her ERA to 1.28, and allowed 83 batters to reach base all season. (42 hits and 28 walks and 13 hit batters).
Ketcham was not only proud of her senior pitcher but the other five seniors who have played pivotal roles all season.
“My seniors, I really feel like I can turn to them,” Ketcham said after the 2-0 win. “If they are not going to get the job done at the plate, they are going to get the job done on defense. I’ve been really confident in their abilities all season long. The six of them are going to be missed. They are going to be hard to replace, there’s six and all six of them start. So it’s going to be tough but I guess we are going to have to overcome it. They mean a lot to me…. It’s going to be a tough pill to swallow.”
As they prepare for their region tournament game against Effingham County, Ketcham believes her team won’t need any extra motivation heading into the game.
“We have been creeping along all season long,” Ketcham said about her squad. “Getting a little better and just depending on how they go in with their confidence with their bats it determines how we are going to play that day. They keep fighting and it might be a 1-0 ballgame or we might win by two and be squeaking through, but they are coming through and they are executing and getting it done. Maybe not so pretty all the time but they are getting done what needs to be done.
“I think they are going to be fine, they see now that this part is over and we have to focus on what’s ahead or we are finished. Hopefully, they are on the same track as I am.”