Lady Indians defeat Gulf Coast; advance to take on Pensacola
Chipola will travel to face the Pirates later this week for a chance to move on to the State Tournament
PANAMA CITY, Fla. – The Lady Indians used an offensive explosion in Panama City on Tuesday to advance in the Panhandle Conference Play-in Tournament and end rival Gulf Coast's season. It was Chipola's fourth consectuive win in the rivalry.
Chipola outhit the Lady Commodores, 13-3, and belted two home runs en route to a 9-2 victory. It was the most runs the Lady Indians scored since a 17-9 loss on the same field on March 23.
Janelle Martinez started the onslaught in the top of the first inning blasting her third home run of the season.
The early lead was short-lived however as a sac fly plated a run for the Lady Commodores in the bottom half of the inning.
In the top of the third after Jadyn Burney was hit by a pitch with one out and Martinez singled for her second hit of the game, Marianna native Amari Brown doubled to score Burney and put Chipola up, 2-1.
The score would remain 2-1 until the top of the fifth. Kiara Garrett, another local product from nearby Sneads, led off with a single and moved to second on a single by Burney. After a pair of ground ball outs, Olivia Sasser hit her team-leading fourth home run of the season to give Chipola a 5-1 cushion.
In the bottom of the inning, Charity Bibbs sat down Gulf Coast in order for the third time in the game. Bibbs pitched six innings to her twelfth win of the season. The sophomore from Vestavia Hills, Alabama, allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out four.
The Lady Indians would go on to score two more in each of the final two innings while Gulf Coast managed just one other run in the bottom of the seventh.
Chipola advances to face Pensacola later this week for a shot at moving on to the FCSAA/Region VIII tournament. Chipola will need to defeat the Pirates twice in order to keep their streak of 16 consecutive state tournament appearances alive. By virtue of being the top seed in the play-in tournament, Pensacola will only need to win one game on their home field to end the Lady Indians' season.
Game Notes
- Janelle Martinez was 2-4 with a solo home run. Martinez is second in the conference in batting average and sixth in the FCSAA.
- Olivia Sasser was 2-4 with a three-run home run and a double.
- Three Lady Indians (Hannah Atwood, Amari Brown, and Kiara Garrett) were 2-3 with a RBI.