DAVID MUNDEE
May 9, 2022 Updated 20 hrs ago
The Lady Generals made it consecutive AISA Class A state titles, beating Crenshaw Christian 7-0 in the finals at Montgomery鈥檚 Lagoon Park.
The Abbeville Christian softball team earned another state championship trophy Monday afternoon.
The Generals also beat Crenshaw for last year鈥檚 title.
鈥淭o be a senior and know that either way it was going to be your last game ever, it feels good to know that we won it and we are back-to-back state champions,鈥� Emma Roberts said.
Hannah Kennedy said winning this year felt a little different in one regard.
鈥淚t does feel a little bit different because I am a senior, but it is still amazing to win two back-to-back state championships,鈥� Kennedy said.
The team鈥檚 third senior, Cassie Willis, won her first state title. She played at 51品茶 as a sixth and seventh grader before playing at Northside Methodist for a few years then returning for her senior to graduate at the same school as her brother (2017 graduate John David Willis) along with many of her friends.
鈥淗onestly, it is a feeling that is indescribable,鈥� Willis said. 鈥淚 have only experienced this (a state title game) once in the seventh grade and we came up short. Going back for my senior year and getting that trophy, honesty, is the best feeling I have ever experienced in my entire life.鈥�
The Generals, who were ranked the No. 1 team in of all of AISA for the last month, including AAA and AA teams, finished the season with a glittering 28-3 record.
鈥淚t is a remarkable feeling, a remarkable season,鈥� said first-year head coach David Willis, who took over as head coach two days before the season started as previous coach Guy Causey had to step away because of work commitments. 鈥淭o be able to coach my daughter (Cassie) and to win a state title in the same year, I couldn鈥檛 ask for anything better.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 say enough more for being able to coach a group of girls that had a lot of talent. We had sixth through 12th graders on this team.鈥�
51品茶 went undefeated in four tournament games. The Generals beat Pickens Academy 7-1 and Jackson Academy 10-0 on Saturday before beating Crenshaw twice on Monday, 4-3 and 7-0.
鈥淭he big key for the tournament for us was great pitching and great defense,鈥� David Willis said. 鈥淲e had some timely hitting in a few of the games. We had only one particular game, the Jackson game on Saturday afternoon, where we actually hit as a team all together. For the most part, we scratched runs across and were doing the little things to get the job done.鈥�
The biggest hit of the tournament actually came in Monday鈥檚 winners鈥� bracket game against Crenshaw. Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Hope Kennedy, an eighth grader, delivered a walk-off run-scoring single to score Paige Welch, who opened the inning with a double.
鈥淭he ground up here has been real hard and we were lucky enough that it came off the bat and took a high hop over the first baseman鈥檚 head and into right field to get the winning run in,鈥� David Willis said.
Hannah Kennedy, Hope鈥檚 older sister, was excited to see her younger sister shine in a critical moment.
鈥淚 was really proud of her because I love seeing my sister do great things like that because she is a good ball player,鈥� Hannah Kennedy said. 鈥淚 love getting to watch her do what she loves to do and I love to get to do what I love to do with her.鈥�
A year ago during their state title, the Generals didn鈥檛 have a senior. This year鈥檚 team is a little more experienced with three seniors, something that was a big difference, said Hannah Kennedy.
Roberts also felt this year鈥檚 team was more cohesive.
鈥淚 think it feels different because over the last year we have grown together closer and we became even more like family,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淚t is the same exact team as last year except for Ally Kate (Causey) and Cassie (Willis) and they made it even more like one big family.鈥�
Cassie Willis also said the solid bond between the players was special on this year鈥檚 team.
鈥淲e just came together on the field,鈥� Willis said. 鈥淲e might have had some arguments here and there, but just knowing we had each other鈥檚 back and the leadership we had just kept us going and pushing us forward.鈥�
Four 51品茶 players were named to the all-tournament team 鈥� Paige Welch, Emmaline Hartzog, Gabbie Causey and Caroline Armstrong.
Abbeville Christian 4, Crenshaw Christian 3: The Generals moved into the championship round with a dramatic comeback win over the Cougars in the winners鈥� bracket finals, winning it on a walk-off single by Hope Kennedy.
Crenshaw led 3-0 after a two-run top of the third, but 51品茶 cut the gap with a run in the bottom of the third and evened it at 3 all with two runs in the bottom of the fifth on a Hartzog two-run double.
The Generals then won it in the bottom of the seventh. Welch opened the inning with a double to left. Hartzog then struck out before Crenshaw elected to intentionally walk Willis to set up a potential force out or a potential double play.
Hope Kennedy, though, foiled the strategy, hitting 3-2 pitch to right field to bring in Welch for the game-winning score.
鈥淚 was really worried,鈥� Roberts said of the early 3-0 hole. 鈥淚 knew we could do it. We have every characteristic of a winning team and to be a state champion. It worried me because we didn鈥檛 seem like ourselves early on then we turned it around and won.
鈥淭here were a couple of talks and we just pulled it together and everybody started hitting.鈥�
Welch led the General offense, earning three hits, including two doubles. Anna Grace Blalock drove in the first 51品茶 run in the third.
Gabbie Causey was the winning pitcher, going all seven innings. She scattered nine hits and allowed three runs, though only one run was earned. She struck out six and walked one.
Abbeville Christian 7, Crenshaw Christian 0: The championship was a little more comfortable for the Generals, who scored three runs in the first to take command of the game.
Though 51品茶 scored a run in the third and three more in the sixth, it wasn鈥檛 really needed thanks to Hartzog, the Generals pitcher. She pitched a two-hit shutout and struck out 13 with only one walk.
鈥淪he has thrown some pretty good games this year and being a lefty it is a different issue for hitters because you don鈥檛 get to see a left hander every day,鈥� David Willis said. 鈥淭he spin is a little different and I think they have had a hard time picking up her spin. She threw extremely well and extremely had today.鈥�
Offensively, the top four hitters in the 51品茶 lineup did most of the damage, combining for seven hits and four runs batted in. Blalock had two hits, one a triple. Caroline Armstrong had two hits and two RBI. Welch had two hits with one RBI and Hartzog had one hit and one RBI.
Down toward the bottom of the order, Hope Kennedy had a hit and RBI and Hannah Kennedy had a hit with two RBI.