Ambrey Taylor is a lover and not a fighter.
That is unless she’s staring down a first-pitch strike with ill intent.
With the score knotted up at one run apiece and the Curry softball team seeking another burst of energy to its dugout after tying the game, Taylor laid down a searing triple on the 0-0 count to score the go-ahead run in the state title game.
“I’m not going down without a fight,” Taylor said. “We were tied up, getting close to the bottom of the inning and I was not going down. I was playing for my seniors and my team.”
The top-ranked Yellow Jackets held on the final two innings to claim a 2-1 victory over No. 10 Geneva in today’s Class 4A Championship at Oxford’s Choccolocco Park.
“It’s unbelievable,” Curry coach Dave Lawson said. “I thought yesterday was the best feeling I ever felt and I questioned could it get better than that. I’m here to tell you, it can. Just an amazing feeling. I’m not at a loss for words often, but today I am.”
Curry (44-11) won its third AHSAA blue map in program history and the first since taking back-to-back titles from 2015-2016.
“It’s fantastic,” Lawson said. “So happy for these kids, this community, this program and our school. Look around you, look at the turnout. That’s what it takes to win one of these – everybody all-in all the time.”
The Panthers got the scoring started in the second inning, taking a 1-0 lead on a wild pitch that scored Emma Griffin, who led off the Inning with a single. An error put Emily Lamb on first, advancing Griffin to second, and a sacrifice bunt from Erin Curry set up the scoring play with Griffin moving to third base.
Curry starting pitcher Ella Reese Wright allowed four hits through the next 3 1/3 innings and was relieved by Alena Howse with two outs and a runner in scoring position in the top half of the fifth.
“We had a system this whole tournament,” Lawson said. “We start with Ella Reese Wright, get 4-5 out of her and then come in with Alena. Two different types of pitchers working different parts of the strike zone. It was very effective.”
Howse forced a fly-out to end the fifth and allowed only three baserunners in the final two innings. A throwing error allowed the lead-off Geneva batter to reach in the sixth, but a sac bunt and two straight groundouts ended the inning. A lead-off single from the Panthers in the seventh was followed by a groundout and fielder’s choice, but another groundout the final opportunity for Geneva.
“I want to give God all the glory,” Howse said. “I’m a drop-ball pitcher so I don’t get a lot of strikeouts, but my defense, I love them so much. Every time they make a play, I cheer them on. It’s a strikeout in my heart.”
“Elle Reese, she works so hard and is like a sister to me, I love her,” she added. “I told her before the game that I got her back and I know she’s got mine. Let’s get in there and do the job. We have the same pitching coach and I know how hard we worked to get here.”
The Yellow Jackets evened the score in the bottom of the fourth, scoring on an RBI single from Jenna Madison, sending Kylee Trotter home from second. In the next inning, Curry seized momentum with the go-ahead run on the RBI triple.
Reese Miller led off the fifth with a single, followed by a strikeout and fly-out, and set the stage for the game-winning hit from Taylor. The first pitch she saw was straight down the middle that she dealt hard into the left-field fence, allowing Miller to score.
“I’m a big first-pitch swinger,” she said. “Every team that I’ve ever played knows that. I’m aggressive and that’s my mindset at all times. It happened to work out for me and as soon as I hit second, there was no doubt I was going to third.”
Geneva (37-13) had only one true scoring opportunity in the final four innings, a two-out single that resulted in Griffin being tagged out at home. The Panthers left a runner stranded in each of the last six Innings.
Star of the game: Taylor. The freshman shortstop was only 1-for-3 at the plate, but recorded the game-winning hit on an RBI triple in the fifth inning. She was named Class 4A tournament MVP for her efforts throughout the Yellow Jackets’ title run.
“She’s phenomenal,” Lawson said. “She’s come up big in the clutch all year long. It’s why she bats in the 3-hole for us. She’s a big-time player and is going to have some major college offers. She lives for those types of moments. Proud of her.”
Stat sheet: Curry – Howse relieved Wright in the fifth and earned the win by allowing a single hit in the final 2 1/3 innings. Howse and Wright combined to allow 1 run on 5 hits, the latter adding 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Alayna Key, who went 1-for-3 with a single, and Linley Tubbs were named to the Class 4A All-Tournament Team along with Taylor. Madison finished 1-for-1 with an RBI single in the fourth and Miller was 1-for-2 with a single and a stolen base. Geneva – Katlyn Carter was tagged with the complete-game loss, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts, and Griffin scored the only run of the game for the Panthers on a wild pitch in the second inning. Makaley Boswell had a single and Rayanna Ausley finished with two singles.
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