Gadsden, Ala. – Bre Agnew delivered an unbelievable performance for the Northeast Mississippi Community College softball team in the final day of the 2014 Cardinal Spring Fling.
Agnew hit three home runs in one game to lead a comeback effort by the Tigers, but Chattahoochee Valley (Ala.) Community College held off Northeast for a 21-10 win on Saturday, March 8 at Gadsden City Park.
The designated player got her squad into motion after the Pirates scored the initial nine runs of the matchup. Agnew's solo shot over the left field wall in the second inning got the Tigers on the scoreboard.
She followed that with homers in the next two frames as well. Agnew connected on a three-run long ball on the first pitch against Chattahoochee Valley starter Beth Garner (7-0) that plated Bianca Chagolla and Haleigh Moffett.
Then in the fourth, the Booneville product cut Northeast's deficit to as close as 14-10 with a two strike, two out line drive home run.
The Pirates, however, did not slow down and added seven runs over their final three at bats. Erin Patterson and Avery Carroll both had RBI hits in that stretch.
Patterson led a Chattahoochee Valley (12-9) squad that banged out 20 base knocks. She went 5 for 6 and crossed home plate three times with nine RBIs.
Agnew all but matched Patterson with a 3 for 4 performance of her own that included three runs scored and six RBIs. Shannon Goode was solid at the bottom of the batting order with two doubles and a pair of RBIs.
Whittney Gee, Haley Christian, Moffett and Chagolla joined Agnew and Goode with multiple hits for a Tiger team that totaled 17 on the afternoon.
Avery Springer (0-1) took the loss after allowing five earned runs in 1.1 innings of work.
Northeast 3, Georgia Highlands 2
Trenisha King continued a very impressive weekend in her native state of Alabama as Northeast concluded the tournament with a big victory.
King belted a three-run home run in the bottom of the third for what turned out to be the winning margin for the Tigers (7-13).
Chelsea Buntin and Chagolla (3-5) combined on an impressive pitching performance to make King's long ball stand. Chagolla, from Riverside, Calif., started and went 4.2 innings with six strikeouts and just one walk.
Buntin relieved her in the fifth and worked out of a couple of crucial situations. The Alcorn Central High School graduate hit Hillary Rowell with the bases loaded to cut Northeast's lead to 3-2, but she rebounded and got Kayleigh Medlin to strike out to end the frame.
The Chargers (8-15) put two runners on base in both the sixth and seventh innings. Buntin did not allow Georgia Highlands to score, though, and induced an infield fly by Liz Prance to wrap up the contest and secure her first career save.
Brandi Hughes (2-4) was the loser for the Chargers. She gave up six hits, including King's second long ball of the season, and struck out three.
Calhoun 10, Northeast 3
The Warhawks broke away from a very close matchup with a five spot in the sixth. Calhoun used four straight hits to begin the inning, including RBI singles by Sydney Kiser and Shelby Kerr, to take a 7-3 advantage.
Kaleah Spencer and Ashton Cowan then put the game out of reach for the Tigers with back-to-back doubles that gave the Warhawks (15-7) their final tally.
Calhoun plated the initial five runs before the Tigers clawed their way back into the game in the top of the sixth. Goode singled and scored on a passed ball to get the frame underway.
Springer and Agnew followed her with two straight RBI singles that cut Northeast's deficit to 5-3 before the five-run bottom half by the Warhawks.
Lindsey Jackson (1-2) was the winner for Calhoun while Hannah Dildine went the final 1.1 innings to grab her fourth save.
Buntin (3-6) went four frames with three earned runs allowed for the Tigers. Springer and Abigail Rish each went one inning in relief.
Agnew topped Northeast with two more hits to up her total for the afternoon to five with seven RBIs.