Battery Creek’s breakout softball season ends with loss to Johnsonville

For a few moments, it looked like all those well-struck balls that wound up in Johnsonville gloves might even out in time.

Emily Crosby opened the Battery Creek seventh with a triple down the left-field line, scoring one out later when McKenzie Young’s flare fell between three fielders in right-center. After six innings of frustration, the Dolphins had the tying run on.

That’s where it ended, however. Three pitches later, a foul pop and a weak dribbler brought the best softball season in Dolphins history to an end Wednesday evening with a 2-1 loss to Johnsonville in the Class 2-A Lower State tournament.

“Heartbreaking,” said Battery Creek coach Stephanie Cox. “We came alive a little bit late at the plate, and it was reflected in the score. ... We played well, but it wasn’t our time.”

The Dolphins, who won 20 of 21 while bulldozing region opponents and winning their first district title, were ousted with their second straight loss. They fell in extra innings Monday at Dillon, then struggled to solve Johnsonville pitcher Savanna Young.

Battery Creek managed just one hit before the seventh, getting Journeigh Doray to second with one out in the second inning before a line drive back to Young and a strikeout ended the inning. That was the start of 17 consecutive batters set down by Johnsonville’s ace.

Not that a few of those Battery Creek swings didn’t have chances. One inning later, Michaux Gee’s liner seemed headed to a landing just inside the left-field line before Johnsonville’s Arlie Ard nabbed it in full stretch less than two feet off the ground.

Then in the fourth, Doray made solid contact again — right at third baseman Maggie Leviner, whose quick reaction even prompted Cox to walk over and give her a high-five.

“Good teams make good plays,” Cox said. “It’s the name of the game when you get to this part of the playoffs. The competition gets hard.”

Dolphins pitcher Alexis Ortiz allowed just six hits in going the distance, but three of them came in the first two innings as the Flashes did all their scoring.

Johnsonville’s Maelyn Thompson opened the game by reaching on an error, charging to third on Jada Parsons’ single. She might have been out, too, but Crosby was called for interference on the play, allowing Parsons to trot home.

The Flashes added one more in the second as Kayla Ard singled, stole second and went to third when Jessica Shipley’s throw bounced off her helmet into shallow left. A Karlee Smith groundout brought her home.

“Good teams are going to score runs,” Cox said.

Despite the abrupt end, it did little to dampen a historic season for the Dolphins, who followed up last year’s first region title in 17 years with an unbeaten region slate in which every opponent was dispatched by the 10-run rule. Last week brought the school’s first district crown.

“I could not be more proud of my team for the season they had, regardless of a win or loss tonight,” said Cox, who loses just one senior off the roster.

“It doesn’t change the fact that we made history twice. And we advanced to the third round of the state playoffs. You couldn’t really ask for much more. So we’re going to reflect on it, we’re going to practice hard and come back stronger.”

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Battery Creek’s breakout softball season ends with loss to Johnsonville."