Katie Henderson knows at some point that Trinity Christian Academy is going to be tested. But, ho-hum, this just wasn't the day.
So, in a peculiar sense, the clock continues to tick on West Tennessee's most dominant softball team.
 ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
"We're waiting," said the junior catcher after the Lady Lions blanked Fayette Academy, 6-0, at home in the Region 8-A semifinals on Monday. "We come to every game expecting it to be the one when it's going to be a fight, but that just hasn't happened.
"But we know at some point it will. It's our job to be prepared when that time does come."Henderson finished 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and scored three times against the Lady Vikings. But like a broken record, this was the fourth straight postseason game dominated by Ivy Renfroe.
Involved in her 10th no-hitter of the season, TCA's freshman phenom struck out eight and was a hit batter from a perfect game over six innings. But those are just the preliminary statistics.
Renfroe's two-run triple in the fourth inning set the final score, and she made sure there would be no drama by striking out five of the final six batters she faced. The 6-foot righty also didn't allow a ball out of the infield.
Her eighth-grade sister, Ellen, came on in relief and sat Fayette Academy down in order in the seventh inning to preserve the no-hitter.
And how are these for playoff numbers:
Renfroe (21-1) is now 4-0 with three no-hitters. She's allowed just two hits over 23 consecutive scoreless innings with 40 strikeouts.
"We're just playing well," Renfroe said. "I wish it were more competitive, because it would be more fun, but we're winning and that's what we're trying to do. How we're doing it, we can't control that."
Against Fayette Academy (10-17), Henderson had TCA's first hit of the game with a lead-off double in the second and scored one out later on another double by Shelby Cummings. The lead ballooned to 4-0 in the third on an RBI single by Brittany Yates and Henderson's first home run of the season.
Renfroe's triple in the fourth inning - TCA's fifth extra-base hit of the game - closed the scoring.
There was no challenge nor drama - only Caity Harwell reached base for Fayette Academy when she was hit by a pitch with two outs in the second inning. The clock is still ticking on that for a team that finished third last year at Spring Fling.
One interesting note, though, is Wednesday's game at home against Adamsville could be TCA's first regional championship. That has been denied the past two years, including last season when Huntingdon upset the heavily favored Lady Lions.
"Things have been going really well for us so far, but (the Huntingdon loss is) something we always remind the girls about," TCA coach Robert Craft said after the team improved to 35-2. "It only takes one time to show up and not play your best to get hit with a loss.
"That's what this is all about now. It doesn't matter what you did in the past - every team is here for a reason. I'd say our girls have a chance to do something special, but you can't unless you're (at the state tournament). We can't get ahead of ourselves. That's the moral to the story."
-Bob Heist, 425-9751
jacksonsun.com
Zoom Photo
