If there is one thing you don’t need to question the Reeltown softball team about — it’s their fight.
Reeltown found itself in a tough position to open up the AHSAA Class 2A Regional Tournament, facing a seven-run deficit to Ranburne through three frames. However, Reeltown gritted its teeth and got to work. Ultimately falling to Ranburne 7-6, the Rebels scored six unanswered runs to keep things close.
To keep the season alive, the Rebels dominated against the Flying Squadron of Highland Home en route to a 17-0 victory in just three innings. Hits came in bunches, racking up 13 through before ending the game via run-rule. Lilli Johnston and Lainey Patillo accounted for three hits each while pitcher Cridan Dunn sent batters back to the dugout with two strikeouts.
It came down to Day 2 for Reeltown, opening with Southeastern. The two teams duked it out for all seven innings, but unfortunately, it was the Mustang who pulled through late, winning 8-2. Heading into the final frame, it was tied at one run apiece, but the fatigue set in for the Reeltown pitchers.
Seventh grader Caroline Sutherlin dominated through six innings of play, racking up 10 strikeouts in her time in the circle. However, the final inning resulted in seven runs scored by Southeastern, primarily due to a series of walks that put the Mustangs in prime scoring position. Even though the season ended much sooner than he would have liked, head coach Travis Spraggins was proud of how far his team had come.
“I thought that the girls themselves did an outstanding job,” Spraggins said. “They faced adversity, and they felt they handled adversity really well. Couldn't ask for a better group of girls; they go to war whether in the box or on the field, they have each other's backs. It was just an all-around great performance in my mind, just came up short.”
What plays to the Rebels' strength in the future is how young the team is. Of course, they will miss the contributions of the seniors on the roster who helped lead the squad this far, most of the team was made up of underclassmen, even as far down as the middle school level. Spraggins knows above anything else, the future is bright for Reeltown softball.
“I feel like the future of Reeltown softball looks extremely strong,” Spraggins said. “You can ask any coach. I've heard coach after coach up here say, ‘You got a bright future with a young, talented group of kids.' And that's kind of the goal. We just kind of fell short with some older girls, as far as not being able to play because of some health issues, concerns. But as a young group should speak volumes as a program’s what the future should be.”