The final score may not have been the way the Reeltown softball team wanted it to go, but it came down to the very last inning.
The Rebels found themselves in a stalemate against one of the better softball teams in Class 2A — Horseshoe Bend. The game went scoreless for the first five innings before the Rebels struck first. However, some late-game magic to pair alongside a walk-off double resulted in a 3-1 loss.
Arguably the best performance of the day came from an unlikely hero — seventh grader Caroline Sutherlin. It was the first varsity start of her Reeltown softball career and she dominated. Sutherlin spent the first six innings in the circle where she allowed three hits and one run but struck out eight batters and walked two. She then turned right around to go a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate.
“As a seventh grader, in her first official varsity start I thought she did a great job handling pressure,” Reeltown coach Travis Spraggins said. “She did an even better job locating her pitches. I expect great things from her. She had good composure in and out of the dugout and even at the plate.”
Although the final result was not what they had hoped for, it told Spraggins one thing — the Rebels can compete with anyone.
“For us moving forward, we really see our potential and where we should be,” Spraggins said. “We're not looking back, that's our goal. The overall message to the girls is we're not looking backward. We're looking forward and we're gonna take that as the first stepping stone.”
Where it stands now, Reeltown is in a good spot to take the area. Having already taken down LaFayette twice alongside a loss to Loachapoka, the rematch between the two could determine who takes the No. 1 seed heading to regionals. Spraggins knows this team can accomplish that feat if it uses the remainder of the season to focus on the little things.
“We have to really hone in on the small stuff,” Spraggins said. “That was the direction of our conversation with the girls. Even (on Thursday) it has been our focus. The past month is really focusing on the small stuff in the game, simple base hits, pop flys. Doing our job at the box, bunting situations and just doing our job while being a selfless player.”
Reeltown will get the chance to right its wrongs against Horseshoe Bend this Thursday on its home turf.