Softball: Harrisburg falls to Nashville in 2A Regional Championship
Like a heavyweight boxing match, Harrisburg and Nashville went round after round trying to land a shot to sake the opponent Thursday in the IHSA Class 2A Regional Championship in West Frankfort.<br />After a one hour weather delay and five strong innings by both squads, Nashville hit Harrisburg with what could only be described as a solid right-left combo.<br />A couple of bloop singles in the bottom of the sixth inning for Nashville proved to be the knock out punch in a 2-0 win.<br />With one out in the inning, Sophie Heck hit a bullet over the head of McKenzie Sullivan in centerfield, ending up at third and that followed with Brooke Burdham being hit by a Lydia Miller pitch to put runners on the corner.<br />Nashville's Alli Liske bloop single into shallow center scored Heck and Libby Ahers bloop single scored Burdham.<br />Harrisburg head coach Red Stafford, who midway through the season wasn't sure if his team would be in this position, primarily due to defensive miscues couldn't have been more proud of his club.<br />"At the beginning of the season we were thinking we were going to have everyone back from a team that played in the regional championship last year. Then we don't get our starting pitcher and three starters are out due to injury. We struggled at the beginning and got better, but then midway through the season, I thought this is going to be a long year.<br />"The last few weeks however, we settled down, Lydia became our starter and we played good defense. We got better definitely - but we also struggled hitting the ball and I think a lot of that has to do with being young. Today, our kids hung in there, competed and as a head coach that is all you can ask."<br />Harrisburg did have its opportunities, albeit rare as they only had three hits on the day, but with the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning, Sullivan hit a rocket down the left field line that Stafford said, a step here or a step there, could have been three runs for his Bulldogs.<br />"That's just the way the game went for us today. We didn't get many breaks," he said. <br />Miller (4-8) went six innings and allowed two runs on six hits, while striking out three and walking three.<br />"The last few games Lydia has been good about getting out jams," Stafford said. "She pitched really well tonight. She made some big pitches to get out of jams. That's the way the game goes sometimes."<br />Harrisburg had just three hits on the day as Essence Sanders, Mya King and Miller each singled.<br />The Bulldogs end the season at 17-19.