State tournament

The Marshall Academy Lady Patriots got off to a rocky start in the Class 4A State FastPitch Tournament but recovered to win two before elimination.

They finished fourth in the two-day event held at the Magee Sportsplex in Magee.

“It was definitely not the ending we wanted,” head coach Carlton Gibson said. “This team had as much talent as any we have ever put on the field at MA.”

Game one The Lady Patriots scored four runs early but gave up seven in the fifth and fell 9-6 to Clinton Christian Academy to start the twoday tourney Saturday. Hallie Turner and Landry Loper led the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back singles. Natalie Shaw singled and drove in a run. Meredith Anthony and Carlie Vannucci followed with singles, with Vannucci getting an RBI, before Kamdyn Taylor reached on an error and two runs scored. Zoey Rippee also had a hit in the bottom of the first.

That 4-0 lead held until the fifth. Three of Clinton’s seven in that inning came on a home run.

Each team scored two more runs, MA one in the bottom of the fifth and one in the seventh, and Clinton two in the seventh.

The Lady Patriots outhit their opponent 14-to-seven but left several runners stranded. MA committed four errors and Clinton three.

Rippee led the Marshall offense with three hits. Getting two hits each were Turner, Shaw and Taylor.

From the circle, Vannucci pitched four and a third innings. She struck out two, walked two and gave up five hits and four earned runs. Turner, in two and two-thirds, struck out four, walked eight and gave up two hits and three earned runs.

Game two

The Marshall softball squad, after its game-one loss, took out its frustration on North Delta Saturday night with a 16-0 win.

The Lady Pats scored three in the first and 13 in the second, and the game ended after just two and a half innings due to the run rule.

Marshall had eight hits. Leading the way were Loper with two hits and two runs-batted-in, Anthony with a hit and five RBIs, Rippee with a hit and three RBIs, and Gracie Rappa and Shaw each with a hit and two RBIs.

Vannucci picked up the win from the circle. She struck out two, issued no walks and gave up four hits in three innings of work.

Game three

The Marshall unleashed its hitting parade in a 17-5 rout of Centreville Academy Monday morning.

The Lady Patriots bats were red hot — pounding 17 hits. Both Christa Schultz and Taylor homered in a seven-run second inning — Schultz a grand slam and Taylor a tworun shot. Each had two hits in the game. Schultz had five RBIs.

Turner had a big four-hit game.

Rippee connected for two hits and three RBIs. Her double scored three in a huge nine-run fourth inning. Loper had two hits and two RBIs. Shaw had two hits and knocked in a run.

Vannucci was the winning pitcher. In four innings, she fanned four, walked three and gave up six hits and two earned runs.

Centreville led 2-1 after the top of the second, but MA rallied big-time and advanced in the losers’ bracket.

Game four

MA met Clinton Christian again Monday afternoon in the final four and outhit the Lady Warriors again, but mistakes proved costly.

The Lady Patriots committed eight errors in a 14-12 loss that ended their season.

“Errors and walks killed us in that last game,” Gibson said. “We struggled when it mattered the most.”

Taylor blasted a three-run home run in the bottom of the first as Marshall went up 4-2. Clinton bounced back to lead 5-4 in the top of the second. Then Rippee led off the bottom of the second with a solo shot. The Lady Pats scored three in that inning and led 7-5. It was tight the rest of the way. The difference was the Lady Warriors’ four-run sixth.

Marshall had 17 hits to Clinton’s nine.

Loper was the top performer at the plate with four hits and an RBI. Rippee was next with three hits and an RBI. Getting two hits each were Turner (one RBI), Schultz (one RBI), Shaw (two RBIs) and Rappa. Taylor had four RBIs in the game. Vannucci had a hit and drove it two.

Vannucci pitched five innings. She struck out one, walked three and gave up seven hits and four earned runs. Turner threw two innings. She struck out three, walked four and gave up two hits and one earned run.

The fourth-place finish in the state tournament for the Lady Patriots follows a secondplace finish last season. Their last state championship came in 2017.

MA, which won the District 1-4A and North State championships, ends the 2021 season with a 22-8-1 record.

“I wish the four who are going on to play college ball all the best,” Gibson said. “We’re looking forward to our rebuilding year next year. We have three starters returning and several kids who have sat and waited their turn to get on the field. We will be competitive and hopefully we make a run.”

The head coach thanked Mitch Tomlinson for helping keep the facilities in top shape. He thanked Thomas Loper, David Johnson, Jamie Rappa and Pat Shaw for all their help with the field week in and week out. He thanked Alison Loper for keeping the concession stand running. And he thanked headmaster Tony Banks, athletic director Bruce Branch and the board of directors for their support.