CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville High softball continued their journey in the state tournament as they faced Wilson Central on Wednesday. After losing for the majority of the game, the Wildcats competed the comeback to win 7-3.
Each team was defensively sound to begin the game. Hits were hard to come by throughout the first three innings. The first runs of the ballgame were scored when Wilson Central’s Tealor Chang blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the third.
Clarksville did not back down following the Wilson Central breaking the tie. The Wildcats leadoff batter, Emberly Nichols, singled to center field to try to cut into the deficit. After a sacrifice bunt and an error, Nichols came around to score to make it a 1-2 game.
Nichols, who was the starting pitcher for Clarksville, shut out Wilson Central the following inning to keep the momentum rolling into the fifth. The Wildcats changed the landscape of the game in the top of the inning. After two batters were able to reach base, Abby Chappell homered to center field to give Clarksville the team’s first lead of the game.
The following play, Nichols continued the offensive onslaught with a triple. After a bunt, Nichols scored for the second time on the day, and that pushed their lead to 5-2. The Wildcats held on to claim their victory and push on to the next round of the state tournament.
“The team is playing well right now,” said Clarksville head coach Brian Rush. “Abby’s homerun ignited our offense and gave us the momentum to put a few more runs up on the board. Wilson Central is a very good team that is well coached, so every run we scored was crucial to our success.”
They are scheduled to face Farragut High next. The game is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.