After a disappointing end to the regular season at Kingston, the MMS Lady Waves were ready for a fresh start. The Midway girls got to host the 2011 District Tournament, and they came out early on a chilly Saturday morning to take the field against Rockwood. The SOR ladies looked well-rested, and it wasn’t long before business began to pick up.
Big hits by Whitney Colyer, Kayla Borum and Amber May were just a few of the offensive highlights in the first game. Third baseman Jayde Rose has been especially solid on defense as of late, and that trend continued into the tournament. Rose consistently handled hot shots and got them over to first base in hasty fashion. Raygn Hall continued her dominance from the pitching rubber and allowed only one walk against the Lady Tigers. In the end, the Lady Waves cruised through this one, 7-0.
As they progressed into the afternoon, the next big showdown with the Kingston Lady Jackets was imminent. Midway struck in the first inning with an RBI single by Hall. Kingston answered in the second with an RBI double, then took the lead by scoring a run in the fourth frame. As the time limit wound down, the tension was thick in the cool October air.
In the top of the fifth inning, Midway’s Kallie Sohm exploded with a HUUUUGE 2 RBI double that sent Kingston reeling. Raygn Hall followed that up by driving Sohm across the plate to increase Midway’s lead to two runs. After two Hall strike outs in the bottom, right fielder Julie Kilby caught a pop fly to end the game and send the Lady Jackets to the losers’ bracket. That, however, would not be the last that Midway would see of Kingston.
As evening approached, Kingston advanced past Harriman to face the Lady Waves in the final round. There would be no time limit in the championship game. If the Lady Waves won, they would take the big trophy. If they lost, there would be one more game. The SOR girls weren’t taking any chances. They decided to put this one away early.
Midway scored six runs in the first two innings, highlighted by doubles from Kallie Sohm, Lexi Taylor and Rachel Tuttle. Solid defensive play by catcher Whitney Colyer and second baseman Kayla Borum helped the Lady Waves keep Kingston off the scoreboard until the fourth inning. By that time, a wicked RBI triple by Jayde Rose had helped increase the Midway run total to eight. A double by Colyer and a hit by Amber May contributed to three more runs for the Lady Waves in the sixth.
A Midway error allowed one more Kingston run to cross the plate in the bottom of the sixth. That’s all the Lady Jackets would get, though. Two Hall strike outs in the bottom of the seventh were followed by a pop up which was grabbed in center field by Tuttle to end the game. Final score: Lady Waves 11, Kingston 2.
A jubilant celebration ensued, as the Midway girls claimed the big prize. It was the one they had fought for since August, and they battled through adversity to get it. The 2011 MMS Lady Waves earned the District Championship, their first ever, and they are now recorded in the annals of history. In a post game interview, head coach Chris Borum said, “We did it. We came out and played our game, and we won hands down.” Borum went on to say, “We had a preseason meeting where these girls set a lot of team goals and personal goals. They achieved pretty much every one of those goals.”
The most outstanding individual numbers of the tournament were put up by Raygn Hall. She dominated from both sides of the plate. As Midway’s pitcher, Hall threw for 23 strike outs, allowing only eight hits and five walks. At the plate, Hall batted .667 and knocked in 6 RBI. Seventh grader Amber May had a breakout performance. May batted .571 with two RBI and scored three runs. Other top hitters included Lexi Taylor (.555 BA, 2B, RBI, 3 runs) and Kallie Sohm (.333 BA, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 6 runs).
After they shined up the big trophy, many of the players were accompanied by family and friends for some wild Mexican fun. But you know what they say: What happens at Los Primos stays at Los Primos.
Congratulations again to all the Lady Waves. As usual, you have made your community proud.
Saturday was such a great day that ended what has been a great season. What a way for these 8th graders to end their middle school careers. These girls have a lot of individual and collective talent and I look forward to seeing that grow in the future. Chris and David – thanks for your time and hard work. Tammy and Lee Ann – thanks for organizing and putting up with Chris and David. It was so great to see the crowds at each game. As usual, Midway evidenced the great fan support. Happy times at SOR……….