Pisgah softball earns thrilling comeback win on senior night

May 3—Pisgah softball wrapped up its regular season with a thrilling senior night battle against the North Henderson Knights, scoring a walk-off 7-6 win after coming back from five runs down.

"My heart rate is finally coming back down," Pisgah coach Heidi Morgan said. "I think it was a very good test for us to make sure we stay diligent as we head into the playoffs. Kudos to North Henderson, who has clearly put in a tremendous amount of work and have improved at the plate."

As it is with any sport, senior night is a special night for the players in their final home game, the coaching staff, the parents and the crowd.

"I don't have kids, so these are my babies," Morgan said. "I love them like my own."

While senior night is always memorable, this game may stick in the minds of the Pisgah players due to the rally back, as well.

"It's always really fun, but it felt different," senior Addison Sorrells said. "This was a fun game because we all pulled together and persevered. It was fun battling that as a team."

Before the game, senior Whitney Boone got to throw the ceremonial first pitch. Boone was a star pitcher last season for Pisgah but has not been able to suit up this softball season, due to an injury during the basketball season.

"Whitney is wise beyond her years," Morgan said. "Her game knowledge, even as a freshman was exceptional. It's like having another coach on the sidelines."

All five other seniors got the start on senior night, including Elizabeth Smith, who got the nod at first base. Similar to Boone, Smith has dealt with an ankle injury all season after an injury during the basketball season.

"Elizabeth has meant a ton to this team," Morgan said. "She's got a powerful bat and I love that kid."

Senior Alyssa Smith got the start in the circle for Pisgah. She was pulled after two batters, however, due to a lingering elbow injury.

"Alyssa has worked hard. She's battling a little bit of an elbow thing right now," Morgan said. "She's the funniest person on the team. That's what she says. She's just someone who is steady day in and day out. She's a worker. She's a great teammate. She's always a constant positive force."

The Knights quickly struck first, grabbing a 2-0 lead.

With runners on second and third, a ground ball to second base scored the first run. Then, a bloop single into shallow right field scored the second.

"It wasn't extremely shocking," Morgan said. "They beat Franklin. They've been playing everyone close. It's the last game. They're going to come out strong, want to prove a point, especially heading into next year."

Pisgah was quick to get a score of their own on the board, as well.

With two outs, junior Mack Jones drilled a triple into right field. Then, sophomore Addie Foust hit a double to center that barely snuck under the centerfielder's glove.

In the third inning, North Henderson came out swinging again. The visitors got runners to second and this with no outs to start the inning.

A bunt forced an out at first, but the throw to the plate sailed over Foust's head and allowed a run to score from third.

A swinging bunt resulted in a difficult throw to first not being corralled and a fourth run coming across. Then, a line drive into right field scored the fifth.

The third inning finally came to an end with a spectacular play from another senior, Jayden Moore.

A pop-up looked like it was going to fall in for a base hit just behind the pitcher's circle. That's when Moore came flying in from her shortstop position for a diving catch.

"She's got an excellent motor," Morgan said. "Once she gets going, she's hard to slow down. She's the fastest kid I've ever coached."

In the following inning, North Henderson would add one more run, putting the visitors up 6-1.

Comeback begins

When the teams had played exactly one month earlier at North Henderson, the Lady Bears had cruised to a 16-0 win, but on Thursday night, Pisgah was going to have to fight for it.

Junior Savannah Dickerson led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk, while Moore kept things going with a bunt single.

Senior Tannon Sorrells stepped up next, recording a single and an RBI, to cut the deficit to 6-2.

Freshman Kylie Henson stepped to the plate next and singled, sending one run across the plate. It seemed a second run had come in, but the umpire stood with a raised fist signaling the out call.

In the fifth, Dickerson singled into center to score a runner from second, cutting the deficit to 6-4. With two outs and a runner on second, an error kept the inning alive and allowed the run to come in to score.

Henson would reach again in the sixth, eventually finding her way to third and sophomore Jaiden Smith would hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game up.

"It just proves to them that if you stick with the process and keep punching a run here or there, it will keep adding up and you'll have those big moments," Morgan said.

In the seventh inning, the Knights went down in order, setting up a potential walk-off win for Pisgah.

That came in large part due to the great defense that Pisgah was playing in the second half of the same. Senior Addison Sorrells was a big part of that.

"Addi has grown and become a stronger player every single season," Morgan said. "Now, she's steady and solid. She's made leaps of growth. She's not only a great player, but all my girls are great people and Addi is at the top of the chart."

Finding a winner

The first two batters of the seventh for Pisgah were set down without incident. Then, senior Tannon Sorrells got the rally started.

"She needed that. She deserves it," Morgan said. "She's a great kid, an excellent leader. For four years, T has come out and put in the work at third base and at the plate. When she gets down on herself, it just fires her up and she works harder."

Henson stepped to the plate and came through in a big way again, hitting a double to center field to walk the game off.

The play was a storybook passing of the torch moment. The senior gets into scoring position in a tie game on senior night, and the freshman drove her in to put the game away.

"We had a freshman hit her in, and a senior score our winning run," Morgan said. "I think that's twofold. Our future is so bright and our present is so strong."

After the game, there were hugs all around and coaches getting choked up over the moment.

"Everybody is definitely a family," Addison Sorrells said. "The coaches will do anything for you. They're like your other parents. You spend more time with them than your own parents. The fans are really supportive. Every night, there's packed stands."

Boone echoed the sentiment.

"It's super special because we're such a close-knit community and school," she said. "There's so much more joy behind the scenes. You see us competing and winning, but every practice, we come with a smile on our faces. We're each other best friends and family on top of teammates."

While Thursday night was about celebrating the seniors in their final regular season home game, their time at Pisgah is not over, as the Bears prepare for the playoffs. The Lady Bears are currently ranked as the No. 13 team in the 3A West RPI rankings, meaning there is a good chance that playoff softball will be played in Canton this year.