Madison players cheer from the dugout during Wednesday’s extra-innings loss to West Wilkes in Marshall.
MARSHALL – Wednesday was the end of the road for Madison in the NCHSAA 2-A softball playoffs.
Each and every Patriots player who left the dugout at Gregg Field was despondent. A 4-3 loss to West Wilkes in the third round that took 11 innings will do that to a team.
But help isn’t on the way for future seasons. It’s already here.
The Patriots were a 22-2 Western Highlands Conference championship squad with only two seniors, and which leaned heavily on underclassmen.
“For a young team to do what this group did is just special,” Madison coach Andy Gregg said.
The Patriots had the luxury of three capable pitchers this spring (senior Samantha Gosnell, sophomore Hannah Jennings and freshman Savannah Rice), and each of them got their turn in the circle Wednesday.
Madison finally succumbed when West Wilkes second baseman Gracey Curtis belted a triple. She later came in to score on a throwing error.
The Western Highlands Conference champions appeared to be headed for the fourth round before Black Hawks pitcher Emily Visnic belted a solo home run that tied the game in the seventh inning.
“I felt like we had the game won,” Gregg said.
“They just hit out a really good changeup. I thought we would hit (Visnic) a little better as much as she pitched, but it just didn’t happen. We put a lot of players on base and gave ourselves a chance. It just didn’t happen. I’m proud of all our girls because I felt like they did a good job.”
Jennings was 3-for-5 to lead Madison, while Brooke Vilcinskas was 2-5 with three RBIs. Vilcinskas, who is the Patriots catcher, made a bare-handed catch of a foul ball in the first inning.
Gosnell and Sabrina Moorefield are the two seniors for Madison and both were in the starting lineup Wednesday.
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