By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
MURFREESBORO – A second straight loss and elimination from the Class 1A state tournament did not cloud J.B. Suiter’s vision of what his Union City softball team accomplished this season.
“Our kids belonged here. I truly believe that,” Suiter said after the Lady Tornadoes lost 5-0 to North Greene Wednesday morning to end their season.
“We talked about turning the corner in the middle of the season, and I thought we did that. I really believe this group has set the way for next year and future teams.”
Union City finished the 2021 campaign with a 21-11 record, winning both the district and regional tournaments and qualifying for the state tournament for just the second time in school history.
It marked Suiter’s fifth time taking a team to the state – having accomplished that feat four straight years at Westview in Class 2A – before coming to Union City.
The Lady Tornadoes will move up to Double-A next season, joining the likes of Westview, Milan, Huntingdon, and Gibson County as the TSSAA adopts a new four-classification system.
Just a little more than 15 hours after dropping its tourney opener to Eagleville 5-1 Tuesday evening, UC encountered a similarly rough start vs. NG Wednesday morning.
The Lady Tornadoes found themselves in a 3-0 hole after shaky first inning in which North Greene collected five of its six hits in the game and capitalized on a costly Twister error.
Union City gave up two runs in the opening frame the night before against Eagleville and never could recover.
Unfortunately, the same was true Wednesday.
“For the second straight game, it looked like we had some nerves going on,” Suiter said of his team’s uneven start. “I really thought we’d shaken those from last night.
“And we just couldn’t get past that.”
NG tacked on two more runs in the fourth to make it 5-0 with the help of another Lady Tornado error.
Union City managed just four singles – those by Sophie Theobald, Anna Lynn Cheatham, Emmaline Qualls, and Bailey Decker.
The Twisters’ best chances at scoring came in the fifth and sixth when they put two runners aboard with just one out. Singles by Qualls and Decker in the fifth gave UC a chance and walk to Sophie Theobald and Cheatham’s knock set up the second opportunity.
Three strikeouts and a pop-up snuff out the threats, however.
“Their pitcher did a good job with the rise ball and mixed in her change-up,” Suiter concluded. “And when we got behind early again, it dictated our strategy of what we wanted to do and what we could do.”
Cheatham (9-5) was charged with the pitching loss after tossing the first four innings and giving up three earned runs. Theobald hurled two scoreless frames in relief. The duo combined to strike out seven and issue two walks.
The contest was the last in a UCHS uniform for seniors Avery Decker and Kaitlyn Lamb.