AHSAA SOFTBALL: Prattville elimiinated from 7A contention

Prattville pitcher Kylie Jarman pitched six innings in the loss to Auburn in the Class 7A Central Regional at Lagoon Park. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Prattville’s season came to a halt in the Central Regional on Thursday afternoon, just one hit away from advancing to the state tournament. 

Prattville coach Brian Pittman said the game was symbolic of the Lions’ season, a year full of promise and accomplishments tempered by near-misses and thoughts of what could have been.

“I felt like that game against Auburn was kind of the tale of our season,” Pittman said. “We never stopped competing. There was always that one inning that would get away from us. Just like today, we had a few walks, a couple of mistakes behind that and a timely hit by them and they took the lead, but my kids fought back.

“My kids have character, they have pride. We’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the state and the ball didn’t bounce our way as much as we’d like. We’re losing four seniors, they’re awesome kids, but I feel like we have a good young core coming back.”

In the first game, Central-Phenix City pulled away late to defeat the Lions 8-3. Kaytie Chandler went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI, Kylie Jarman went 1 for 3 and scored a run and Sarah Grace Jones went 1 for 1 with a triple, scoring a run and driving in another. 

Chandler took the loss in the circle, allowing seven runs, five earned, on four hits while striking out four in five innings. Jarman pitched the sixth inning, allowing a run on two hits while striking out one.

Facing elimination, the Lions fell behind 5-0 to Auburn before battling back to make it 5-3 in the seventh inning. With runners on first and second, the Lions fell one hit short of advancing to the finals for the second qualifying spot. 

Jarman took the loss in the circle, but went 2 for 3 with a walk at the plate, scoring one run, while Kaylee Robles went 2 for 4, Jones went 1 for 4 with a triple and drove in two runs, Zarria Bozeman went 1 for 4 and scored a run, Laci Jackson went 1 for 1 with an RBI and Grace Easterling went 1 for 3.

The Lions (24-25) lose Jones, Jarman, Easterling and Taylor Smith to graduation, but Pittman said his seniors can take pride in what they helped establish at Prattville over the past two years.  

“If you would have told me that in two years we would have won an area tournament in year one, been a regional qualifier and gotten to state, then come back this year and win the regular-season area title, end as area tournament runner up and get back here again and give ourselves an opportunity, I would have taken that,” Pittman said. “Especially considering the year before I got here they won 11 games. As I told them, we don’t want moral victories, but if you look at where we are now, the growth is there.

“This is a standard for us. We expect to be here, with a chance to get to state, every year. That’s what Prattville softball is.”