By Adam Carrington
Marietta Daily Journal Sports Writer
KENNESAW - The top-ranked Kennesaw Mountain fast-pitch softball team will get another shot at a Region 5AAAAA title after battling for one the last the years only to come up short.
The Lady Mustangs scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning Tuesday evening and held Harrison to just one run in the bottom of the frame to secure a 4-3 win, the No. 1 seed in the 5AAAAA tournament next week and an automatic bid to the Class AAAAA state sectionals. Kennesaw Mountain will host North Cobb next Wednesday in a best-of-3 series for the crown.
"I feel confident that we can do it," said KMHS center fielder Jennifer Fenton, who was 3-for-5 at the plate against Harrison. "We've got hitting now. We've got pitching and great defense. We have great team chemistry and coaches to help us out."
The Lady Mustangs (27-4, 9-0) carried a two-run lead going into the bottom of the sixth before Harrison tied it on an errant throw by Fenton. The Lady Hoyas had a chance to win in the eighth with bases loaded and one out, but they left them stranded, and the Lady Mustangs finally answered in the 10th.
"This is one of those teams that, even when we're down, we keep fighting back," Kennesaw Mountain coach Lisa Chapman said. "I sure didn't want to lose that game on (Fenton's) throw to the dugout, but they battled and did a great job."
Fenton led off the 10th inning with a bunt single to the pitcher, moving courtesy runner Chelsea Johnson to third. After Fenton stole second, Ashley Pauly brought Johnson home on a fielder's choice, and Fenton came home on a fielding error.
The Lady Mustangs got two routine outs in the bottom of the 10th, but Harrison (15-8, 7-2) refused to go quietly. Erin Nesbit kept the Lady Hoyas alive with an RBI single to center to score courtesy runner Christine Farmer. Then Sara Stukes battled Kennesaw Mountain pitcher Brittany Lundgren, but stuck out swinging to end the game. Lundgren got the win, yielding just one hit in four innings pitched and striking out four.
Harrison's leadoff batters reached base four times in the first five innings and failed to bring them home. But the Lady Hoyas did come through in the bottom of the sixth.
Nesbit was hit by a pitch to begin the inning, and Stukes followed with a single to left before Lundgren relieved Erin O'Shea. Jessie Homesley bunted Nesbit and Stukes to second and third before Whitney Horton came to the plate.
Horton hit what would have been a home run over center field to give Harrison the lead, but Fenton made a spectacular catch over the fence. As good as that catch was, Fenton wasn't out of the woods yet. She needed to make a throw to second base to keep the runners on, but it sailed into the KMHS dugout, and Nesbit and Stukes scored to tie the game.
"I heard that I had to go to (second), and I was trying to go to (second)," Fenton said. "The second basemen wasn't tall, and threw it too high. My bad."
The bad throw by Fenton nearly cost the team the victory. Harrison threatened in the bottom of the eighth, but a stellar defensive play by Krista Kennedy at third base helped the Lady Mustangs get out of the inning.
With one out in the inning, Nesbit hit a bunt single and Stukes walked to load the bases. Homesley drilled the ball to left field with hopes of getting the game-winning hit, but Kennedy made a leaping catch and threw to home in time to tag Emily Dodgen. Lundgren struck out Norton swinging to end it."
"We knew we had out chances," Harrison coach Deanna Stewart said. "We didn't get the hits at the opportune time, and they did. That was the difference in the game."
KMHS played small ball to get on the board in the top of the first. The Lady Mustangs drew a walk and had two infield hits to load the bases before Kristin Marko hit a sacrifice fly to right for an RBI. O'Shea hit an RBI single with two outs to score Pauly in the third for a 2-0 lead.
acarrington@mdjonline.com
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