No change in champs, Forrest claims fourth state title

Anthony S. Puca Sports Editor
Posted 5/28/21

In Forrest’ first title season in 2008, they came out of the loser’s bracket and beat defending state champion Trinity Christian Academy twice in the championship round. In 2015, they swept away the competition, winning all four games they played for ring number two. In 2017, Forrest was in the driver’s seat, only to lose twice to Meigs County on championship Friday.

Two years later, the Lady Rockets pulled off another clean sweep for the school’s third state title and then the Covid-19 pandemic erased the 2020 campaign, denying that senior class a chance of winning consecutive titles.

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No change in champs, Forrest claims fourth state title

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In Forrest’ first title season in 2008, they came out of the loser’s bracket and beat defending state champion Trinity Christian Academy twice in the championship round. In 2015, they swept away the competition, winning all four games they played for ring number two. In 2017, Forrest was in the driver’s seat, only to lose twice to Meigs County on championship Friday.

Two years later, the Lady Rockets pulled off another clean sweep for the school’s third state title and then the Covid-19 pandemic erased the 2020 campaign, denying that senior class a chance of winning consecutive titles.

On Friday afternoon at the TSSAA Spring Sports State Championships in Murfreesboro, the Lady Rockets let Lexington back in the chase with a last inning 4-3 loss in game one before they bounced back in a big way at night, defeating the Lady Tigers 4-2 in the second championship game to claim back-to-back state titles.

“Hats off to the girls, they did not like that first loss,” Forrest coach Shelby Lightfoot said. “The big thing for them is they know how to win and find a way to win and we gutted it out and came through.”

“Between the games we said our negatives, we got out everything we needed to get out and we told them coming in that nobody beats you, Forrest beats Forrest and that’s what happened, so you have about 15 minutes, it hurts and it should hurt, and then you have got to let it go with a clean slate and come out and be ready to play and that’s what they did.”

Ashley Milligan closed out her senior season in dramatic fashion as she held Lexington scoreless for six and one third innings before back-to-back home runs cut the Forrest lead in half at 4-2.

All season long, when Milligan has gotten in some troubled spots, she has responded with strikeouts and that is exactly what happened again in the dead clutch as she whiffed two out of the next three batters to keep the Class 2A title in Chapel Hill.

“The conversation before the game was that this has to be your best one whether you have it in you or not,” Lightfoot said. “I thought the game before we threw too many balls, so I told her to go after them a little bit more and this is the last time you will wear that ‘F’ on your uniform so how do you want to be membered with that across your chest and I thought see did a great job stepping up to that challenge.”

Milligan gave up five hits, struck out 10, and walked two Lexington batters.

On offense, the Lady Rockets were pulling their hair out, trying to solve Lexington’s pitcher Cadey McDaniel’s change-up.

“Everyone says that a girl has to throw in the mid 60’s to be tough, huh no,” Lightfoot said. “Being able to keep a team off speed and on their toes was a tough pitcher for us this year, so hats off to her (McDaniel) and her team.”

Forrest was chipping away little by little as they had runners in scoring position for three out of the first four innings, leaving five baserunners stranded until Jenna Blanton lit the fuse with a one-out triple in the top of the fifth inning.

Laura Mealer followed with a great piece of hitting, stroking an RBI single to center field and Karley Daughrity ripped another single to right to put Lady Rockets on the corners.

The Lady Tigers elected to walk Milligan to load the sacks and for the second time in two games, pinch-hitter extraordinaire Carli Warner came up huge as she was hit by a McDaniel pitch to make it 2-0 ballgame.

Katelyn Helmick, who along with the rest of the team had been frustrated by the McDaniel changeup, let a few go by before smoking a McDaniel pitch that scored Addison Bunty, who had come in to run for Milligan.

The three-run outburst fired up the Lady Rockets, their huge throng of fans and most importantly Milligan, who set down Lexington 1-2-3 in the home half of the fifth inning.

Christa Warren was sent up to bat as a pinch hitter to lead off the top of the sixth inning and she was beaned by a McDaniel pitch.

Warren was forced out at second on a Blanton grounder, but Blanton stole second moments later and then raced home on a Mealer infield single to make it a 4-0 contest.

A nice defensive play by Lexington and a close call at home on another squeeze prevented Forrest from scoring again, but Milligan was in the groove as she set down the Lady Tigers in order for the second inning in a row.

Forrest did not score in the top of the seventh inning and the skies began to darken and the wind picked up exponentially as Lexington came up to bat.

The Lady Tigers had come back in game one so they had some confidence and Lauren Hall led off with a line shot to left field, only to see Abby Ferguson make an incredible diving catch near the left field foul line for the first out.

Then things got tense.

McDaniel sent a deep shot over the center field fence to make 4-1 and Marley Maness, who had been swinging for the fences all day and night, finally connected to make it a 4-2 contest.

Milligan came up with a strikeout that Forrest catcher Parker Wales had to finish up with a nice throw to first base.

Kyrsten Brown kept the game alive for Lexington with a double to right/center field before Milligan finished the game in style, striking out the final Lexington batter to secure the state title for the Lady Rockets.

“We beat them (Lexington) like four times in the past two years and I knew they wanted us and this was going to be the toughest game we had all year,” Milligan said. “It was worth it though, that is who we wanted to play and who we wanted to beat.”

The Lady Rockets banged out 10 hits in the contest with Blanton, Mealer, Karley Daughrity, and Ashley Milligan all coming up with two hits apiece while Helmick and Ferguson had one hit apiece.

Forrest (31-4-1) finished with its eighth 30-plus win season in the last 20 years and improved their state tournament winning record to 45-31.

Including the 2002 season when they went 38-5 and finished as runner-ups for the first time, Forrest has compiled an incredible 554-136-5 record with four state titles (2008, 2015, 2019, 2021), four runner-up finishes (2002, 2007, 2009, 2017), and has made 18 state tournament appearances in 20 years.

“This is the first time in history (back-to-back) that this has ever been done and it was a big deal for us,” Mealer said. “Especially coming in after losing that first game this morning, just to show that we were not giving up or giving in was a big deal for me and I’m so proud of our underclassmen who were a little flustered at not doing as well as they thought they should.”

“It was a great team win, we worked our tails off to get where we are, so I’m just so proud of this team.”

If not for the Covid-19 pandemic, it very well could have been a three-peat.

“We all felt like we won this for those seniors who did not get a chance to do this last year,” Milligan said. “We did this for you, we love them so much and wanted to do this for them.”

Lightfoot talked about the continued success of the Forrest softball program.

“I have to do a testament to our community, the fans, the parents,” Lightfoot said. “I mean we do put in a lot of work ourselves, but without the parents support and supporting us and letting us have their kids it’s not possible.”

“To me it’s a big testament to their parents and families in letting us have their daughters and coaching them to this point.”

Forrest 000 031 0-4 10 0

Lexington 000 000 2-2 5 1

Forrest: Jenna Blanton 2-for-4, Laura Mealer 2-for-3, Karley Daughrity 2-for-4, Ashley Milligan 2-for-3, Katelyn Helmick 1-for-4, Abby Ferguson 1-for-3.

IW: Mealer, Milligan.

RS: Blanton 2, Mealer, Karley Daughrity.

3B: Blanton.

RBI: Mealer 2, Helmick, Carli Warner.

SAC: Macyn Kirby.

ROE: Maggie Daughrity.

FC: Blanton, Ferguson, Milligan.

HBP: Ferguson, Warner, Warren.

SB: Blanton 2, Addi Bunty.

Team LOB: 11

WP: Ashley Milligan (7IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 8K, 2BB).

Lexington: Kennedy Brown 1-for-3, Lauren Hall 1-for-3, Cadey McDaniel 1-for-3, Marley Maness 1-for-3, Jadyn Yarbro 1-for-3.

BB: Kylie Waldrep 2.

RS: McDaniel, Maness.

2B: Yarbro, Kennedy Brown.

HR: McDaniel, Maness.

RBI: McDaniel, Maness.

SAC: Kennedy Brown.

SB: Waldrep.

Team LOB: 6

Fielding

E: Mykenzi Duke.

LP: Cadey McDaniel (7IP, 10, 4R, 4ER, 2K, 2BB).