Gallery by Tina Laney
Independence has made dramatic comeback wins a postseason theme in recent years.
Tuesday night it was win or go home and the Patriots added another thrilling chapter to the storybook.
Trailing by two runs in the top of the seventh inning, Independence came alive and pushed three runners across to beat Shady Spring 5-4.
Shady Spring and Independence will now meet for a third time in sectional play, Friday at 6 p.m. This time, one team will be crowned the Class AA Region 3, Section 2 champion with a win.
“I knew it wasn’t over yet, not with that team. It is never over until it is over,” Shady Spring head coach Nikki Mays said. “We were obviously in some different positions tonight. Losing a player to an injury forced us to swap around a little bit. We had a game to play with and we thought we would give it a chance.”
Mays elected to hand the ball Thursday night to freshman standout Jenna Joyce who up until the final inning had baffled the Patriots at the dish.
“She pitched well, and (Independence) did well with not having seen her yet. That is why we went with (Jenna),” Mays explained.
After being held to six hits and only two runs through six innings, Independence found the sticks with one out in its final at-bat.
Keandra Spurlock started the rally with a double off of the fence in right field. The Patriots gathered more momentum when freshman Ava Parks doubled to center field, scoring Spurlock.
With emotions running high, the good fortune for the Patriots nearly came to an abrupt end.
Kassidy Bradberry stepped in, and after fouling off seven pitches, slapped a roller to second. Bradberry was ruled safe on a bang-bang play, but Parks was nailed at the plate trying to score the tying run.
Unaware that Bradberry had beat the throw to first, Independence head coach Ken Adkins began to dejectedly walk across the field.
“I thought I had caused the third out of the game at the plate. I thought I had sent Ava on the third out,” Adkins admitted. “All we were trying to do was tie the ball game and carry the thing forward. What a huge job by our kids and they are not the kids we depend on normally.”
With fans a little stunned by the proceedings and both sides at a fever pitch, former Wyoming East standout Paytin Brehm stepped in with the season on the line for the Patriots.
“I thought I was going to throw up to be honest,” Brehm said with a big smile. “Kassidy had that long at-bat and I was so nervous. My approach was just don’t strikeout there. I had to put the ball in play. When you put the ball in play, things happen. I was ready.”
The tension heated up when Brehm worked the count full at three balls and two strikes, but the sophomore standout was ready for the moment. Brehm smacked a solid single between the pitcher and the diving shortstop to send across the tying run, creating an explosion by the Coal City faithful.
Known more for her pitching, Brehm has become one of Indy’s better hitters at the plate this year.
“Paytin has done that all year and especially here of late. She really didn’t get to hit last year (at Wyoming East),” Adkins said. “She has been one of our clutch hitters and has been really big in these games. She just really believes she can hit the ball.”
Before the commotion settled down, junior Savannah Stanley followed Brehm with a shot up the middle to give the visitors an improbable, 5-4 lead.
“I just went up there after seeing Paytin hit that ball, knowing I needed to get the runner in from second base,” Stanley said. “I needed to stay calm and hit at least a ground ball or a line drive. That is what I did and I was happy that I could get it done for us.”
Prior to her at-bat, Adkins had some advice for his junior hitter.
“Savannah hit the ball today every time on the button. I said to her, I need a line drive,” Adkins said. “I cannot have a pop up. Just a big, big game by our kids.”
A strikeout and two fly ball outs secured the win for Independence freshman Kenzie Pierce. Pierce allowed just five hits, three earned runs and had six strikeouts.
“How about Kenzie Pierce,” Adkins said. “Her first two (postseason) starts and she is 2-0. What a great game she pitched.”
Although Pierce had not pitched many innings this season, Adkins saw it as a no-brainer to give the young freshman the ball.
“I went through the game that Kenzie pitched against them. She pitched 4.2 innings with two earned runs,” Adkins said. “That was the game we lost 9-7 and we made all of those errors. Their good hitters could not hit her.”
“She doesn’t have that many innings thrown, but she also doesn’t know she is not supposed to be in these (type of) games,” Adkins went on to say. “She is a freshman. She is just out there doing what we ask of her. What a great thing to have a kid who just tries to do what you say.”
After two one-run thrillers, the two county rivals will crack heads again Friday in the biggest game of the season.
“We have three seniors and they want to go on. We have to come back and play our A-game again,” Adkins said. “They are a good hitting team. They force you to make plays and today we did that. When we started this thing, we had to beat them twice. Now we have that opportunity and that is all I can ask for.”
While the loss Thursday was a tough one to swallow, Mays expects her team to bounce back and be ready to go in the rubber match.
“We explained to them that (in) our games with (Independence), we are at 75 percent and they are at 25 percent,” Mays said. “They have to know it will be hard. Every game we have had with them has been a struggle, but they have to be confident with the 75 percent right now.”
Prior to Thursday’s setback, Shady had won the two regular season games this year and the sectional clash Tuesday.
