Gibbs High School softball coach Carol Mitchell offered a tip of the cap to Union County after her team's dramatic 2-1 victory against the Lady Patriots on Tuesday night.
"I told their coach (Lance Lay) after the game 'you won the game every way you can,' " said Mitchell. "We stole one from them — they're a very good team."
Megan Farmer provided the game winner for host Gibbs (12-3-1, 7-0 in District 3-AA) in the last of the seventh inning with a one-out, two-run homer over the 205-foot sign in center field.
Ashley Swaney opened the seventh with a single to get the rally started.
Farmer said the Lady Eagles never gave up hope despite an otherwise dominant pitching performance by Union County pitcher Casey Bryan.
"We just have a lot of fire and passion," said Farmer. "Whenever we get down, we don't quit."
Missed opportunities cost Union County (20-3, 4-1) dearly.
The Lady Patriots stranded 11 base runners and failed to score in the second and third innings despite loading the bases.
Bryan (19-3), who came into the game with a 0.72 ERA and now has 157 strikeouts in 103 innings, scattered eight singles and fanned seven before Farmer delivered the big blow.
"She (Bryan) kept us off balance all game," said Mitchell. "We never could get into a hitting rhythm."
The Lady Eagles got a strong pitching performance from Samantha Smith (nine hits, six strikeouts).
"I thought Sam pitched one of her better games," said Mitchell.
Gibbs also pulled off key inning-ending double plays in the second and the fourth.
It looked like Union County's run in the first might stand up as Andi Smith opened with a double and scored on a two-out single by Kelly Cooper.
Bailey Mize and Haven Housewright both went 2-for-4 for Union County.
Mize entered the game with a team-best .566 batting average and the Lady Patriots have six regulars batting better than .400.
Lay said it may be his best team in 10 seasons at Union County.
"Not only is the talent better, so is the team unity," Lay said. "We have great senior and junior classes. The girls have it in their mind to play for May — that's when the postseason run begins."
But Tuesday, Gibbs, the longtime district and region kingpin in Class AA, somehow found a way to win once again when things looked bleak.
"I can't ever remember us winning a game with a walk-off home run," Mitchell said.
"It was uplifting."
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