Lady Rocket head coach Shelby Lightfoot rushes to celebrate with Megan Dunn after connecting on the game-winning, walk-off RBI single. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
The Forrest Lady Rockets pose in the outfield with the student supporters following Friday night’s Class 2A sectional. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
CHAPEL HILL — Three separate times during Friday night’s Class 2A sectional, Forrest lost control of the lead to visiting Huntingdon, including falling behind 5-4 in the top of the eighth inning.
But if one thing can be said about the Lady Rockets, it’s they’re gritty and that grit was on full display as Megan Dunn connected on a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the Lady Rockets back in the Class 2A state tournament.
“I think earlier in the season, we were having these types of games that we didn’t play well and it just wasn’t going our way. I think because of those games, even tonight when we weren’t playing good ball, we found a way. That’s a testament to their grit,” Fo
Miranda Stout slides and beats the tag to tie the game at five apiece in the bottom of the eighth inning. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
rrest coach Shelby Lightfoot said.
Friday’s sectional certainly wasn’t the cleanest game for Forrest, who was plagued with four errors in the field
After falling behind 3-1 by the end of the fourth, the Lady Rockets seemingly got the upper hand on Huntingdon and pushed three runs across the plate in the bottom of the sixth.
Taylor Moreland drove in a pair of runs on a line drive to center field and then Sydney Calderaro put Forrest on top with a squeeze that scored Maddy Ille for a 4-3 Lady Ro
Haddie Van Patten successfully lays down a sac-bunt in the bottom of the eighth inning, putting the tying runner at third. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
cket lead.
The lead was short-lived as Huntingdon tied the game again in the top of the sixth.
With the score deadlocked at four heading to extra innings, a Forrest error set up the go-ahead Huntindgon run, which came on a two-out RBI single in the top of the eighth.
Having been used to the hard-throwing pitching of Summertown and Community in recent opponents faced, Huntingdon approached Forrest with a slower attack from the pitching circle.
As a result, the Lady Rockets had to be surgical in their use of small ball to put runners on base.
“We go from Summertown and Community who were throwing pretty hard and Huntingdon had a great game plan. They came in with a little bit slower. That’s what we struggle with. Then we had to move to small ball. We know we have that if needed,” Lightfoot said.
A single by Marley Chilton and a sac-bunt by Haddie Van Patten set up the tying run in scoring position, bringing Emory Hall to the plate.
Hall honed in and smashed a ground ball single to center, giving courtesy runner Miranda Stout the green light to dash for home.
As the ball came home, Stout was able to slide under the tag and score to tie the game once again at five apiece.
Although Huntindgon had an answer for every Forrest rally to that point, Dunn stepped to the plate with Hall in scoring position and made sure there wouldn’t be another answer by the Fillies.
Dunn connected on a one-hop ground ball that gave her just enough time to reach base and allowed Hall to barrel her way home,
Emory Hall dives and swipes home plate as the ball jostles loose, to score the game-winning run on Friday night. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
scoring the game-winning run as the ball was jostled loose by the Huntingdon backstop.
Dunn was the offensive hero for Forrest in the sectional round, going 3-for-4 with a double and the game-winning RBI.
Moreland took the win in the pitcher’s circle and struck out nine batters, while allowing five runs on four hits.
After graduating a large senior class a year ago, Forrest had to rebrand its identity and although there’s been some bumps in the road, Lightfoot said her team is nothing short of resilient.
“I’m not sure when we lost everybody we lost last year—great players going on to do great things—there was probably doubts this team could make it back to the dance. I think it’s more special to them to overcome,” she said.
Last season, Forrest’s season ended in the region semifinals, but in the 2023 and 2022 seasons, the Lady Rockets played for a state championship, after winning the Class 2A title in 2021.
In order to get back to that championship round, Lightfoot said her team has to do two of three components well—which she thinks her squad is more than capable of.
“To compete for a championship, there’s three components— there’s hitting, there’s defense and there’s pitching. We have to do two out of three well. I think our strength is on the mound and defense. We kind of didn’t show defensively tonight. We have to clean that up. And then we have to have timely hits. If we can go up there, pitch well and play good defense, we can find a way,” she said.
Forrest begins its trek int he Class 2A state tournament on Tuesday against Alcoa at 4 p.m. at the Starplex No. 4 field in Murfreesboro.
Huntingdon 000 301 01 — 5 4 2
Forrest 100 030 02 — 6 9 4
Forrest: Maddy Ille 1-for-4, Taylor Moreland 1-for-3, Ella Chilton 1-for-3, Marley Chilton 1-for-3, Emory Hall 1-for-4, Megan Dunn 3-for-4, Hailee Warren 1-for-3.
WP: Moreland
