BENTON -- Tuckerman Coach Matt Dillon could've done without the drama that ensued during the seventh inning of Thursday's Class 2A championship game. Yet, he had a little something up his sleeve to help take the edge off.
Mackenzie Soden came on in relief to get the Lady Bulldogs out of a bases-loaded jam and shut the door on a potential comeback as Tuckerman outlasted East Poinsett County 6-2 to win its second consecutive state title at the Everett Softball Field inside the Benton Athletic Complex.
"These girls, there's just no quit in them," said Dillon, whose Lady Bulldogs gathered their first crown last season by beating Mansfield 4-3. "There's a lot of fight in them. It's just been an incredible ride this year. To be able to go back-to-back, it's awesome."
Awesome may not have been what Dillon was thinking after watching what the Lady Warriors were able to do in their final at-bat.
After having a tough time dealing with Tuckerman starting pitcher Makaylie Gist, East Poinsett County (32-3) managed to load the bases against her in the top of the seventh. At the time, the sophomore lefty had thrown 116 pitches.
But with one out and the bases full, Dillon decided to make a change.
"[Gist] earned that right to go in the seventh inning," he explained. "But I knew I had the ace in the hole over at second base, [Soden]. Things got rocky, and I just went to my safety net there, and put her in."
Soden, who aided the Lady Bulldogs' come back win in last year's final after pitching a perfect seventh inning in relief, struck out the Lady Warriors' leading home run hitter, Keegan McCorkle, before getting Natalie Dunman to pop out on a 3-2 count to end the game.
Gist was named the Most Valuable Player after giving up 4 hits and striking out 5 in 6 1/3 innings.
Lizzy Walker went 3 for 4 and scored 2 runs while Gracie Smith, Shanley Williams and Ansley Dawson all had two hits each for Tuckerman (25-5), which still managed to win despite stranding 12 baserunners.
"I looked up and halfway through we had 13 hits and only six runs," Dillon said. "I felt like we were gonna get in trouble by not getting some of those runs in early. I thought it may come back to haunt us.
"But we were able to get it and finish it off."
Tuckerman, which won its final 17 games, had the bases loaded in each of the first three innings and left eight stranded. Yet, the Lady Bulldogs found a way to engineer runs to sustain a lead.
Hannah Nicholson's RBI single in the first gave Tuckerman a 1-0 lead. Williams drove in a run in the second with her own single until a three-run third gave the Lady Bulldogs the sizeable margin Dillon felt they needed to put East Poinsett County on its heels.
Dawson's hit allowed Reagan Washam to score and push Tuckerman's advantage to 3-0. Shortly thereafter, Williams drove in two more with another timely-placed single.
The Lady Warriors scored in the top of the fourth on an infield sacrifice from Dunman, but Tuckerman countered in its half with an RBI single from Walker.
Terrin Powell, who led East Poinsett County with two hits, sliced her team's deficit to four runs with her two-run double in the fifth, but the Lady Warriors weren't able to get any closer.
"Super excited with the way the girls competed," East Poinsett County Coach Brandon Powell said. "It was a battle to the end. It would've been real easy to lay down and let Tuckerman put us away, but the girls kept battling and kept trying to find a way.
"We had the bases loaded in the top of the seventh. ... You can't ask for anything better than that."
Gallery: 2022 Class 2A Softball State Championship
