It was a feat in itself just to get to the state tournament. It was a testament to the team’s skill and dedication to become one of the eight best AA teams in the State of Tennessee. But, the DeKalb County Tigerettes wanted more. They wanted not only to participate, but to win. It was not to be.
When asked how good one of the other teams was, Coach Danny Bond told the Review, "At this level, everybody’s good." The Tigerettes would go through two tough games at the TSSAA State Tournament Spring Fling in Murfreesboro, but it would seem luck would not be on their side. As it would turn out, DeKalb would lose to the two teams that would fight for the state title.
On May 20, DeKalb took on a team from Robertson County, the Lady Cats of Greenbrier High School. The game would be close through four innings, then the wind would be knocked from the Tigerettes’ sails.
The Lady Cats struck first, coming away with one run in the bottom of the first inning. The Tigerettes’ bats never came to life, and a couple of close calls would not go DeKalb’s way. One, a throw to first base for an easy out, was called safe after the ump said first baseman Danielle Tyson pulled off of the bag. Loren Cripps was called out after it was said she touched a bunt, and a bunt that rolled foul down the third base line, was called fair after officials said third baseman Katie Hall touched the ball.
The game would remain 1-0 through four innings. Then, in the fifth, Greenbrier essentially sealed the win. The Lady Cats scored with a sacrifice fly to center field, then Tigerettes’ pitcher Kayley Caplinger began to struggle. With the bases loaded, the Lady Cats came away with a grand slam. It was a punch that seemed to take the fight out of the Tigerettes.
Greenbrier came in with two insurance runs in the sixth, and held DeKalb off in the seventh for the 8-0 shutout. The Tigerettes had three hits and three errors in the game, while the Lady Cats had five hits for eight runs, and one error. Caplinger was the losing pitcher, with Lauren Colwell coming in relief.
Hall, Colwell, and Shauna Taylor each had a single in the game.
With the loss, the Tigerettes would play in the loser’s bracket the following afternoon. The team would face the Lady Trojans of Dyersburg, who fell to Greenville in the first round.
Right from the beginning it was obvious that the game would be a struggle for both teams. It was a bright sunny day with a brisk wind in the air, and the wind would come into play later in the game.
It was a defensive game, with neither team seeing home plate through six innings. DeKalb had one hit and three errors, with Dyersburg having three hits and zero errors. It was in the seventh inning that the one hit that mattered took victory from the Tigerettes’ grasp. A left field shot by the Lady Trojan’s Madison Caldwell went over the fence to give Dyersburg their one and only run of the game. The homerun would anger some DeKalb fans as the ball actually landed foul, but officials said the ball was fair when it crossed the fence, then the wind blew it foul. It turned out that one run would be all Dyersburg would need, getting the 1-0 victory and ending the Tigerettes’ season.
Hall had the only hit of the game for the Tigerettes with a single. Caplinger was the losing pitcher.
As it would turn out, the Tigerettes fell to the number one and number two teams in the state. The Lady Trojans would later battle with Greenbrier for the state championship, with Dyersburg taking the title with a 7-3 victory.
Coach Bond said he is proud of his team and it was always a goal to get to the Spring Fling. "It’s always a big accomplishment getting to the state, and my hats off to these girls, and my two assistants. We’ve all worked very hard for this opportunity to come to the state. Our goals and objectives at the beginning of the year, as always, were to go to the state, and more so to try to win it this year."
Coach Bond continued, "The game last night [Greenbrier] was a 1-0 game in the fifth, and today [Dyersburg] was a 1-0 game in the seventh. It could have gone either way I think. We played good defense, with good pitching and good catching. We hit the ball hard at times, but it just didn’t fall in the gaps for us, and we couldn’t manufacture any kind of runs."
When asked about the questionable call made by the officiating, the coach said that’s part of the game. "The umpires have the final say. With the homerun, they said it cleared the fence fair then fell foul, and under their rule, that’s a fair ball. With Greenbrier, it seemed we were snake-bit a little on the officiating, but they try to do the best they can, and we try to do the best we can. Sometimes it just doesn’t fall into place for you."
Bond said the team will be ready for next year, and will set their goal for a state title. "Our same goals and ambitions are set for next year. The girls should set their sights on returning here next season. That's how you win. You get that experience, that savvy, in order to fill those situational things that was brought upon us here."