The #13 (1A) Clarksville softball team was on the wrong side of a walk-off home run in a 3-2 loss at #7 (1A) Southeast Warren in Monday’s Region 5 final, as aired on 99 The Wave.
The Indians led for nearly the entire game. In the top of the first inning, Claire Lodge doubled to drive in both runs, scoring Katie Kampman and Emmalee Manwarren. However, the Indians couldn’t connect with runners in scoring position several times throughout the middle innings. Pitcher Sydney Lovrien carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, where the Warhawks got their first hit. In the bottom of the sixth, Southeast Warren loaded the bases, but Lovrien delivered a critical strikeout with two outs to head to the seventh. The Warhawks got two runners on board, then Jaycee Neer sent a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence to send Southeast Warren to its fourth consecutive state tournament. Head Coach Katie Burman.
“We had it from the first inning, the whole game, the excitement was so high,” Burman says. “And then to have it drop that fast in the seventh inning is an awful feeling. I feel for them. I feel for our four seniors, because they were on the team when we won state, so they’ve had a lot of experience at state. We kept saying we were not safe, two is not enough. We did have runners on base, I was proud of them for fighting, but we had to figure out how to capitalize and score those. Especially if they were getting at least one baserunner on every inning, which means the tying run is up at the plate every inning.”
Kampman, Manwarren and Lodge each had two hits. Lovrien pitched the complete game with five strikeouts, six walks and four hits.
Clarksville’s season ends at 21-10.
Katie Burman interview:
