NACOGDOCHES —
On Saturday, the Grapeland softball team found out that champions get everyone’s best shot.
The top-ranked Sandiettes were pushed 11 innings before pulling out a 4-3 victory over Shelbyville in Game 2 of the two teams’ best-of-3 area series, clinching the series for Grapeland.
With one out and Jalla Johnson on third and Shelby Frauenberger on second, Shelby Bruner lifted a fly ball to right-centerfield, deep enough that, despite it being caught, Johnson was able to tag up and score to give Grapeland the win.
“I didn’t feel any pressure on me,” Bruner said of her final at-bat. “If anything like that happens, I don’t let it get to me, I just have that mentality. I was just determined to get Jalla and Shelby home.
“I was so happy, because I knew that Jalla was going to score even if they did catch it.”
The walk-off hit was Bruner’s second in a week. She also delivered a walk-off single to beat Troup in a warm-up game.
With the victory, the Sandiettes earned a date with No. 2 Beckville, which beat Lovelady, 13-3, in its area matchup.
The matchup will be a rematch of last season’s regional final, which Grapeland won 2-1, winning the final two games to earn the trip to Austin.
Saturday’s game was full of ups and downs for the Sandiettes, who are trying for a return trip to the state tournament after falling in the state finals a year ago.
Grapeland left 11 runners on base during the game offensively, and twice navigated out of bases loaded situations defensively.
“The defense has never been a question with us, I think everybody makes play,” GHS coach J.J. Johnson said. “We make plays, so when the score is low like that it means we’re not hitting the ball.”
Jalla Johnson pitched the complete game for the Sandiettes, earning her second win in as many nights. She struck out six.
“We battled through and it just feels great that we overcame this adversity,” Jalla Johnson said. “It’s over-whelming (and) you can go crazy...but we pulled through.”
Shelbyville opened the scoring in the first inning, when Bree Vaughn reached on an error, then moved to third on a two-base error on the next play.
Vaughn scored on a Kelsi Griffin single to right for an early 1-0 lead.
It was a lead that the Lady Dragons wouldn’t hold for long, as Grapeland’s Jayde Westbrook led-off for the Sandiettes with a bunt single, then stole second and third on consecutive pitches.
Jallas Johnson then hit a double to the wall in left-centerfield to score Westbrook, and would move to third on a wild pitch during Shelby Frauenberger’s at-bat.
Frauenberger eventually grounded out to Shelbyville pitcher Britni Cooper, and when Cooper threw to first to get Frauenberger, Johnson broke for home, where she was gunned down.
The scoring went silent for the next three innings, despite Grapeland stranding five runners in those three innings and Shelbyville leaving the bases loaded in the fourth.
Shelbyville retook the lead in the fifth when Ali Baty led off the inning with a triple and scored on a Vonn sacrifice fly.
It was once again a lead that the Lady Dragons wouldn’t have for long.
Grapeland answered immediately, as back-to-back single from Johnson and Frauenberger put runners at first and second with one out.
Bruner appeared to load the bases in her next at-bat, after she knocked the ball from first baseman’s hand while running to first on a groundout.
But, she was called out for making inappropriate contact, which meant there were two outs with Johnson and Frauenberger on second and third, respectively.
Clara Shaw made sure they wouldn’t stay there, as the Sandiette catcher hit an infield single that scored Johnson, while Frauenberger scored when Shelbyville made the throw to first to try and nab Shaw.
Shelbyville answered right back in the sixth, however, when Kelsi Griffin singled and later scored on an infield hit.
From there, the scoring was over until Bruner’s deep fly ended the game almost three hours after it began.
“We just have to stay together (and) play defense,” Jalla Johnson said. “(We have to) take every game one game at a time.”
Details for the Beckville/Grapeland series were still being worked out at press time.
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