Lady Jackets win 13th Region All “A” championship Thursday

With a thrilling 1-0 victory over visiting Middlesboro Thursday evening, the Williamsburg Lady Jackets softball team became 13th Region All “A” champions in 2018.

It took an extra inning of work for the Lady Jackets to get the job done Thursday, with both teams threatening at various points throughout the game, but neither being able to bring in a run by the end of regulation. Middlesboro put runners on second and third base in the top of the eighth, and seemed poised to score the first run of the contest, but a diving catch by Williamsburg senior catcher Lesleigh Prewitt with two outs on the board kept the score at 0-0 heading into the bottom of the inning.

Fellow senior Jacket Caitlyn Prewitt doubled with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, followed by the next two Williamsburg batters being intentionally walked to load the bases. Senior pitcher Kelsey Tye stepped up to the plate, making contact and sending Prewitt home from third. Prewitt beat the throw, and in dramatic fashion the Lady Jackets punched their tickets to this year’s All “A” state tournament in Owensboro.

“I’m just super-proud of them,” said Williamsburg head coach Jason Prewitt of his team after the win. “They’ve put in a lot of hard work, and a lot of time. They remember two years ago, when Middlesboro came down here and we had to take a knee in the outfield as we watched them celebrate on our mound. We wanted to return that favor last year, but they were just very good, with a really good pitcher.”

“This was goal number one,” Prewitt continued. “We’re going to celebrate this tonight, but Monday we go to Bell County, and on Tuesday we’ve got Corbin. Our district is tough. We’ll enjoy this for the weekend, but on Monday it’s back to work. We’ve got more than just one goal, and we just have to keep growing.”

Speaking specifically about Tye, who pitched all eight innings and struck out nine batters in Thursday’s championship win, coach Prewitt said, “She stepped up big in some high-pressure spots. The whole defense did. We bent, but we did not break.”

Williamsburg, now 3-0 to start out the season, will advance to the 2018 All “A” state championship tournament in Owensboro next month. More information on that event will be provided as soon as the details become available.