The softball season came to a close on Saturday, and two DeKalb teams were right there at the end. One of those teams was St. Pius X, which was among the last four teams remaining in Class 3A after losing both of its games in the Elite Eight last season. And in Class 4A, it was Marist that brought home the state championship.
MARIST WINS IT
Marist set high goals for itself when the season began.
“The expectations were not only to get close [to a state championship],” said head coach Mike Trapani, “but to be there on the last day.”
The War Eagles’ run ended with a 2-0 win over Whitewater in the Class 4A state championship game. Getting there was anything but easy, but after losing to Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy 2-0 on Sept. 29, they were unstoppable. After that defeat, Trapani’s team rattled off 13 wins in 14 games, culminating with a 2-0 win in the state title game.
In the state tournament, Marist got help from multiple players thanks to a balanced lineup that caught fire, hitting .300 in the sectionals and getting game-winning hits from four different players in Columbus.
“Pitchers don’t get an inning off,” Trapani said. “There isn’t an automatic out in our lineup.”
Lori Spingola threw a no-hitter in a 1-0 win over Evans to open up the tournament. Senior Tesia Davis had the winning hit. Spingola, the Class 4A Pitcher of the Year in 2007, was a constant force for Marist during the tournament and all season long.
“We knew we had something special with [Spingola],” Trapani said. “She battled through injuries this year and it made her a little tougher.”
After a 3-0 win over Northgate, the Lady War Eagles faced off against Whitewater, which had beaten them in the state sectionals a week earlier, with a state title berth on the line. Spingola was again brilliant, striking out eight batters and giving up just two hits.
On offense, however, there was an unlikely hero. With the score tied 1-1, freshman Ashlyn Johns hit a clutch two-run single in the sixth inning to notch a 3-1 victory.
The championship series against Whitewater was next, and Spingola was dominant again in a 2-0 victory to win the state championship.
“There have been many state championships at Marist, but this is the first for softball,” Trapani said. “No one can ever take that from us.”
ST. PIUS X LIONS
St. Pius X had to fight through adversity by playing an extremely tough schedule that included some of the state’s best teams and 18 games over the final 17 days of the regular season. Still, the Golden Lions persevered.
“We were tired and we were exhausted,” said head coach Joe Winland, “but we never let it affect our performance.”
Having already overcome plenty of obstacles, Pius entered the state tournament with confidence. The Lady Golden Lions continued their success by dominating in the North state sectionals. Pius beat Cedartown 6-1, Stephens Co. 9-2, and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 1-0 to qualify for the Elite Eight.
While Pepper Gay, who struck out 18 in a regular-season contest against Northgate, kept opposing offenses at bay, shortstop Princess Krebs led the way for a dangerous offense.
“[Krebs] just caught fire in the middle of the season and continued to be a threat in the sectionals and state tournament,” Winland said.
The Lady Golden Lions opened up Day 1 of the Elite Eight with a 3-2 win over LaGrange, overcoming some early mistakes and advancing. But they lost a tough game to Oconee County after giving up both runs in the first inning.
Pius opened up Day 2 not knowing when it would play, as rain delayed Friday’s games.
“I think I did what every other coach did,” Winland said. “I sent the girls to the mall.”
They returned to the diamond later in the day to face Columbus on their home field and didn’t miss a beat in a 3-1 victory. That set up a matchup against Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe with a berth in the state championship on the line. This time, however, the results were different. A bunt single off of Gay was followed by a sacrifice and then a single to make it 1-0 in favor of Lakeview, and that would be the final score, ending Pius’ season.
“There were some tears, but I don’t think it was because we lost,” Winland said. “It was because the softball season was over.”
As for the year as a whole, Winland was still proud of his team.
“We kept ourselves in every game we played this year,” he said. “We never gave up or quit.”
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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