Published: April 23, 2008 02:26 pm            

Lady Jackets fall in two to Clarkdale in classic series

UNION — Sometimes one’s best just simply isn’t good enough and that was pretty much the fate dealt the Union Lady Jackets in last week’s Class 2A playoff series with Clarkdale.

The Lady Jackets lost a pair of extra-inning contests to the Lady Bulldogs to finish their season with a 22-6 record. In both games, a 1-0 loss on Thursday and a 3-1 loss on Saturday, Union blanked Clarkdale for seven innings only to fall when the tiebreaker rule came into play.

“We couldn’t ask for any more,” Union coach Todd Viverette said. “We did all we can do.”

The two met in last year’s Class 2A South State finals with Clarkdale beating Union two games to one. All three were decided by one run.

“We expected it to come down to us and Clarkdale and based on the bracket this year, it just happened to be in the second round,” Viverette said. “I’m not displeased with them at all. In fact, I’m very pleased and very happy with our effort.

“Like (Clarkdale) coach (Rick) Roberson said I don’t think we could have gotten any more out of any of them. It was just a play or two here or there that they made that we didn’t that was the difference.

“We played them as hard as we could and did all we could and it just didn’t work out for us.

“You’ve just got to be glad to be a part of it. It was that kind of an experience.

“It’s just a hurdle to get over. Clarkdale is always going to be there so we’re just going to have to get better and see what we can do next year. I’m looking forward to it.”

Morgan Whitlock tossed 14 shutout innings in regulation only to get the loss both times in extra innings.

“We couldn’t ask any more from her,” Viverette said. “She pitched a great game Thursday and a great game Saturday. I don’t know of anybody around here who has shut them down like that for 14 innings.”

The Union-Clarkdale rivalry has made an impression on Roberson, Clarkdale’s long-time coach.

“You can’t point at any of these kids and say they didn’t give it all they had,” Roberson said. “You’ve got to be real proud of this whatever side you’re on. If every game was like this, you could charge folks about $20 to get in instead of $5 and it would be worth every penny of it.

“It’s just a great series. We’ve got great relationships with the coaches and the players. They get along well. It’s the epitome, the essence, of high school sports. I believe that with all my heart. We’re out there battling with no negativism and no animosity. We congratulate and pray after the game, win or lose. It’s what high school sports are supposed to be like.”



Clarkdale 1, Union 0

The Lady Bulldogs scored the only run in Thursday’s series opener with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Starting the eighth with a runner at second base, an error by Ashley Walker at shortstop and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Walker fielded a grounder and threw home for the second out of the inning, but her second error of the frame allowed Sarah Harris to scamper home with the winning run.

Union, 22-5, had a chance to win in regulation, but wasted a two-out triple by Bailee Viverette in the top of the third inning.

The only other hit for the Lady Jackets was a fifth inning single by Morgan Whitlock.

Whitlock (10-3) allowed four hits and three walks while striking out six.

For Clarkdale, Sarah Beckman had two singles, while Brittany Pippin and Amber Spann both had one single.

Erin Adcock (14-6) got the win. In addition to the two hits, she issued one walk. Adcock struck out seven. Clarkdale’s defense committed no errors.

Clarkdale erased a Union threat in the top of the eighth as Hayley Stephens was picked off at second base for the first out of the inning.



Clarkdale 3, Union 1

Clarkdale, 22-8, went up 1-0 in the top of the eighth inning on a double to left-center by Brittany Pippin that scored Courtney Castleberry after she started the extra inning at second base.

Union, 22-6, answered in the bottom of the inning as Morgan Whitlock scored on an infield hit by Yancey Tillman to force a 1-1 tie.

Clarkdale tallied twice in the top of the ninth to get the win. Starting with a runner at second base, Cayla Coleman reached on a one-out error and a walk to Cory Roberson loaded the bases for clean-up batter Jessie Clark, whose two-run single to left field provided the margin of victory.

Clarkdale’s Erin Adcock retired three straight batters in the bottom of the ninth to advance the Lady Bulldogs to the Class 2A South State finals.

Adcock (15-6) allowed only four hits in nine innings after giving up just two hits Thursday. She struck out six with only one walk.

Whitlock (10-4) took the loss despite dominating the Lady Bulldogs for seven innings. Over that span, she allowed no runs on three hits and one walk. Two of those runners were erased by Union catcher Paige Holsen on attempted steals of second base. In fact, Clarkdale didn’t get a runner past first base until the seventh inning.

Union advanced three runners to second base in regulation, but was unable to break up the shutout.

Whitlock gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks in 8 1/3 innings.

She struck out four. Shelby Smith inherited a bases-loaded jam in the ninth, but got Pippin to ground into a double play to leave Union down 3-1.

Union got one single each from Tillman, Smith, Holsen, and Ashley Walker.

In addition to Pippin’s double, Clarkdale got one single each from Coleman, Clark, Castleberry, Amber Spann, Katie Sanders, and Sarah Harris.



Union 2, Loyd Star 0

To get to the Clarkdale series, Union had to win Game 3 of its opening-round series with Loyd Star on April 15 at Brookhaven.

The Lady Jackets scored single runs in the second and sixth frames and Shelby Smith (10-2) tossed a complete game shutout as Union improved to 22-4, setting a school record for wins in a season.

In the second inning, Paige Holsen led off with a single and courtesy runner Casey Cherry scored on a passed ball.

In the sixth, Yancey Tillman drew a one-out walk and went to second on a sacrifice by Kayla Bates. Smith plated Tillman with a single to up Union’s lead to 2-0.

Union had five hits with Holsen getting a single and a double and Tillman, Smith, and Cherry each getting a single.

Loyd Star, 15-14, had six hits with losing pitcher Brooke Delaughter (13-14) getting a pair of singles.

        

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