CALEDONIA — Just this once, Kevin Stewart would prefer to live in ignorance.
If Stewart has it his way, he will never know if Gracie McCleskey rounded third base with the intent of scoring or of colliding with the third baseman in her path, trying to draw an obstruction call. Stewart doesn’t plan on asking because it doesn’t matter: The umpire called obstruction and awarded the Caledonia High School fast-pitch softball team a 3-2 victory against West Lauderdale on Monday in Game 1 of their Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) third-round Class 4A playoff series.
The victory means Caledonia (17-13), which lost two one-run games to Region 4 rival West Lauderdale in the regular season, needs to win one more game to advance to the Class 4A North State title series. Game 2 will be played at 6 tonight in Collinsville. If needed, Game 3 would follow approximately 30 minutes after the first game.
“That’s a senior,” said Stewart, Caledonia High’s first-year head coach. “That’s a senior and she knew to keep her head up. She knew to come off third and see where the ball is. I’m going to say she saw her and took advantage of the fact that the third baseman was there. I’m not going to ask her if that’s true or not. At this point I don’t care.”
Maddi Suggs started the bottom of the seventh inning with a bunt single. McCleskey followed with a hit that bounced of the cleat of West Lauderdale’s third baseman. Lauren Duckworth then grounded back to the pitcher, who threw to third base for the forceout. The throw back to first got past the first baseman and went down the right-field line. The errors gave McCleskey time to round third, where she made contact with the West Lauderdale’s third baseman.
The run made a winner of starting pitcher Carlee Dale, who allowed two singles, a double, and a run in the first before she settled down to retire the next six batters. In the second through fifth innings, West Lauderdale didn’t get a runner in scoring position.
“One thing Carlee has done throughout this entire playoffs is she’s located, and she’s done that really well,” Stewart said.
The location was all that was missing, as Dale and Stewart had a game plan from the two previous meetings against West Lauderdale. Dale said her drop curveball and screwball worked well for her Monday. She also said her changeup improved throughout the game. Dale had a changeup hit hard in the first, but she went back to it later as her feel improved.
In dominating the second through fifth, Dale needed help from her defense just once — on the only baserunner she surrendered in that stretch. A leadoff single in the fourth turned into a runner on third with no outs when the ball was mishandled. The next West Lauderdale batter laid a bunt down the first-base line. First baseman Duckworth collected it, tagged the batter out, and threw behind the runner to get her out at third.
The play helped Dale continue an impressive start to the playoffs in which she has allowed only three runs (two unearned) in three starts. The second run she allowed Monday was unearned and tied the game in the top of the sixth. It also fulfilled a pregame promise of Stewart’s.
“I told the girls (West Lauderdale is) going to capitalize on our mistakes, and they did,” he said. “We bobbled a ball in right field and the girl ends up at third. We overrun a ball in center field with two outs and the girl goes from first to home. That’s what tied to the game.”
After Dale allowed a run in the top of the first, Caledonia answered with two in the bottom of the frame on groundouts by third baseman Maddi Suggs and second baseman Ashlyn Jordan. Center fielder Hope Harbin led off with a double and stole third to score on Suggs’ grounder. McCleskey moved to third on an error to score on Jordan’s groundout.
Caledonia had other opportunities, but it stranded seven runners on base.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.