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Clarksville softball ends all-time great season as state runner-up

When the Clarksville Lady Wildcats’ season came to an end on Saturday afternoon, there were more smiles than frowns; more laughs than tears.

Perhaps it had to do with the relief of a long, arduous season coming to an end. Maybe it was because they had cut their Friday loss to Farragut from 11-0 to 4-0 on Saturday.

Or, maybe it was because the 2022 Lady Wildcats had just completed the single-most accomplished season in Clarksville softball history, finishing as the TSSAA 4A softball state runners-up for the first time in school history.

“It means a lot,” said senior pitcher Emberly Nichols. “A lot of people didn’t think we were even going to make it this far. Nobody thought we were going to state. No one thought we were even going to win very many games this year. Knowing that we were able to prove everybody wrong is one of the biggest things, I think.

We really grew as a family. We worked together very well. You don’t always have to have the biggest players on the team. If you have team chemistry, then you’re going to play well.”

The Lady Wildcats didn’t win their district regular season or postseason. The team that beat them, Springfield, also took them out in the region championship. They had graduated six starters from the 2021 team that fell in the state sectional.

Like Nichols said: their run to the state title game wasn’t exactly expected.

“We definitely saw promise,” said CHS head coach Brian Rush. “We didn’t know where it was going to end up, but it was something that, early on, we knew the girls were talented and we knew they had the ability. It was mostly for them spending the year finding out how they can contribute into the team concept. That was kind of what we built throughout the year, everybody finding their roles… They all kind of stepped up.”

Following their tournament-opening wins over Daniel Boone and Wilson Central, the Lady Wildcats were throttled by Farragut – the defending and eventual state champions – 11-0 on Friday night in five innings. Following the loss, the Lady Wildcats called a players-only meeting to talk about what happened and what came next heading into their do-or-die Saturday slate.

“We basically just talked about (how) you have to have a bad game,” said senior Abby Chappell. “That was clearly a very bad game. We got put down early. We just knew that we had to come back out. We could make it back.”

Their first test was a rematch against Daniel Boone, who had defeated Wilson Central to reach the state semifinal. For the second time, Clarksville beat them, getting to the rematch with Farragut.

Nichols was shelled by the Lady Admirals on Friday, going just two innings and allowing seven runs.

The ultimate competitor, she wasn’t going to let that happen again.

“I was in my head too much (the first time),” Nichols said. “After, we had some issues with the umpire and then bases getting loaded, I felt like I had to throw it pretty much down the middle. My speed was also down. I think it just unraveled really quickly. We wanted to just have fun, get as much experience off the pitcher yesterday as much as we could because we knew we were going to have to play her again tomorrow.”

She bounced back, throwing a complete game with 11 strikeouts. Unfortunately, the offense struggled to back her up, collecting just one hit on Saturday.

Offense wasn’t the main strength of the team until the state tournament. In three total wins over Daniel Boone and Wilson Central, they averaged over seven runs per game.

“Offense really came to the forefront,” Rush said. “We had really been a great defensive team, we’ve been a great pitching team most of the year. And our offense really found their rhythm for two days, and I thought that really carried us to the championship game. You played a great Farragut team, and you see why they’re the defending state champions. I couldn’t be more proud of these girls.”

They were shut out in both losses to Farragut, collecting just five total hits in 12 innings including just one hit in the final game.

But, again, smiles prevailed over tears. They had what softball is meant to provide: fun.

“We had fun the whole game,” Nichols said. “We went as far as we possibly could… We knew heading into this morning, today’s our last day and we’re going to put it all out there and try our very best.

“We only play (well) when we’re having fun.”

It’s a bonus that, being the softball first team to ever make it to the state championship game from Clarksville, they’ll have the first-ever commemorative banner hung at their home field to forever honor their achievement.

“It feels really good knowing that you’re going to get that banner at the CHS field, knowing it’s always going to be there,” Chappell said. “(Your picture) gets taken down once your season’s over, it’s good that, being a senior, it’ll always be there.”

Nichols, Chappell and Breanna Snyder will graduate from the program as the first group of fourth-years to lead the team to the state title game.

“Emberly and Abby have been with us for four years, and before that, they were on the middle school team,” Rush said. :You’re talking about girls that have been in the program for a while. They’re the ones who’ve seen the 39-win teams twice. They were a part of that. They had a little bit of that knowledge to glean to the girls.

“(Snyder) came over from Northwest, and she just fit right in. Her calmness and her joy of the game was infectious. When we’re business, business, business, she has that joy for the game that she brings to the team.”

The Lady Wildcats’ finish the season 36-12 and the No. 2 state in Class 4A.

Clarksville opens state play with big win over Daniel Boone

There’s something to be said for being big-game ready.

The Clarksville Lady Wildcats were exactly that for their 2022 TSSAA state tournament opener on Tuesday in Murfreesboro, where they defeated Daniel Boone 9-4.

With five games against fellow state qualifier Springfield under their belts along alongside tough postseason wins over Rossview, Dickson County and Arlington, the Lady Wildcats were primed for a big night against Daniel Boone from Gray, Tenn.

“Our district was really tough this year, so we saw great pitching throughout,” said CHS head coach Brian Rush. “I thought Arlington and Dickson threw a lot like this girl, so we learned our lessons in those games. Our girls did a great job being patient and finding the balls to hit.”

Clarksville’s offense got going early. Emberly Nichols and Breanna Snyder each drove in runs in the top of the first inning, and Nichols added another in the second.

Things began to break open in the third. Maigan Cope, McKinlee Suiter, Aree Collins and Katelyn Cotton all consecutively drove in runs from the eight through two spots in the lineup, further solidifying the notion that the Clarksville lineup has found its groove from top to bottom.

But, of course, Daniel Boone wasn’t going to go away. The Lady Blazers added four runs between the fourth and fifth innings, and suddenly a lead that was once comfortable was cramped.

Close or not, though, Rush didn’t want his girls on their toes at all times.

“It’s the state tournament,” he said. “You better stay uncomfortable. They’re a very good team, we knew that coming in. They have two girls going to Tennessee, they have one girl going to Virginia Tech. We knew what they had. We knew shutting them out was probably going to be a tall order, but we made the plays when we needed to.”

As she’s been all season, Nichols was strong on the mound pitching all seven innings with nine strikeouts and six hits. She contributed two hits and two RBIs, but perhaps the biggest presence in the lineup was behind her: Breanna Snyder.

Snyder finished 2-for-2 with a double, one RBI and two walks, one of which was intentional with one out and a runner on second.

“I’d be scared if it was me too,” Snyder said. “I’m such a powerful hitter – if I hit it right, it can go. I expected it but I didn’t at the same time. I would do it too if it was me.”

t helped spark a two-run inning to give the Lady Wildcats an extra buffer between them and the Lady Blazers before Nichols put Daniel Boone down in order in the seventh.

The victory earns Clarksville at least two more games this season, with their next coming on Wednesday morning at 11:30 a.m. against fellow Midstate Wildcats in Wilson Central.

If they win, they’ll advance to Thursday. If they lose, they’ll play in an elimination game on Wednesday afternoon.

CHS Survives Early Loss to Advance at State Tourney

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Two games on the opposite end of the spectrum left Clarksville High dazed but still standing as the TSSAA State Softball Tournament resumed Wednesday afternoon during Spring Fling at the Starplex. Clarksville High was promptly put into the consolation bracket after losing to Siegel High earlier Wednesday. But facing the end of their season, the Lady Wildcats responded with a dominant performance to take out Arlington, 8-2.

The result is that CHS lives to play another day. Clarksville (37-8-1) moves on to face Stewarts Creek at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. If it can win that game, CHS will play again at 4 p.m.."Well, you're down to six teams and all six teams are 48 hours away from a state title," Clarksville coach Brian Rush said Wednesday. "For us, it's just about the next game. We're not looking ahead or looking behind. It's win the next game and keep going. It's an old cliché but it's true in this case. That's how we approach it."

After watching Siegel hit three home runs and score four runs in the first inning of its 6-1 victory over the Lady Wildcats, CHS damaged Arlington later in the day with six of its eight runs in the first.

Katie Keen and Peyton Wilson both doubled while Taylor Adkins, Shelby Gibson and Lindsey Eldridge all had singles. Eldridge's base hit produced two runs. By the time the first frame ended, Clarksville had a 6-0 lead against the Lady Tigers. Clarksville tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth before Arlington finally got on the scoreboard with Kendall Lee's two-run home run.

Homers were the theme for Siegel. The Stars hammered four in the game, two of which came from pitcher Veronica Westfall. Clarksville High committed four errors that didn't help its cause against Siegel. "We're young," Rush said. "We start three freshmen and this is their first experience on a state stage. Actually we don't have a single player on this team that was a part of our last state tourney team three years ago. So we are young, but we are also talented, which showed against Arlington."

Eldridge pitched complete games in both contests and will shoulder the pitching load throughout. McKenzie Rose suffered an injury in last week's sectional and isn't expected to compete at state. Macey Milliken was Clarksville's only run producer against Siegel and she followed with a sacrifice fly against Arlington.

CHS Captures Region Title Despite Coach's Ejection

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. — The Clarksville High softball team didn’t have coach Brian Rush in the dugout for the final two-plus innings of Thursday evening’s Region 5-AAA Tournament championship game. Fortunately for the Lady Wildcats, they didn’t need him. The Lady Wildcats scored all of their runs in the first inning and held on for a 5-3 victory over Hendersonville at Drakes Creek Park’s Griffin-Crandell Field.

“I’ve been playing for him for three years, and I’ve never seen him get fired up like that,” Clarksville junior McKenzie Rose said. Rush was ejected by home-plate umpire Brad Sloan in the bottom of the fifth inning. “That’s a really good umpire behind the plate,” Rush said. “In the heat of the game, things happen. We didn’t see eye to eye tonight.”

Rose came on in relief of junior starting pitcher Lindsey Eldridge (13-2) in the fifth inning and worked out of a bases-loaded jam. “We knew we had to come together and play for (Rush) and get the win,” Rose said. “For him to stand up for us is eye-opening.”

The Lady Commandos (37-13-1) stranded 11 runners, six of which were left in scoring position. “I was a nervous wreck,” said Rose, who picked up her seventh save. “They were getting baserunners on and getting to the top of the lineup, but I knew my defense was behind me. I knew my team would have my back and that I could rely on them.”

A two-out, throwing error led to the game’s first two runs, and the Lady Wildcats added three more runs after that, taking advantage of a hit batsman, a catcher’s interference call, two walks and two errors. Eldridge’s run-scoring double was the lone hit in the inning. Clarksville (35-7-1) finished with just four hits.

Hendersonville senior pitcher Carley Carlisle hit a two-run home run — her 10th of the season — in the bottom of the fifth, and the Lady Commandos added another run in the bottom of the sixth before Rose closed the door. It was believed to be the Lady Wildcats’ first regional title since the 1980s.

Clarksville will host Ravenwood — which suffered a 9-1 loss to Dickson County in Wednesday’s Region 6-AAA championship game — in one of the eight Class AAA sectional contests on Friday evening at 6. “They’re both such good teams,” Rush said of Dickson County and Ravenwood. “The bigger thing about winning the region is not who you play but where you play. We get to go back home."

CHS Holds Off Henry County's Late Rally for District Title

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Henry County put the potential tying run in scoring position in the top of the seventh inning Saturday, but Clarksville High held the Lady Patriots at bay to capture a 3-1 victory and wrap up the 10-AAA tournament title.

Clarksville (33-7-1) entered the top of the seventh inning up 3-0 behind a string of 13 straight scoreless innings pitched by Mckenzie Rose. But the Lady Patriots got their first three batters on base to start the inning. Henry County’s Courtland Hester ended Rose’s shutout with a sacrifice fly to center field, while the two trailing runners advanced to scoring position. But that was as close as Henry County got as Rose got the next two batters to line out and pop out to end the game.

Rose allowed only two hits and struck out seven Lady Patriots (42-3). The game was the sixth meeting between the two schools this season, with both teams winning three times. Clarksville has accounted for all of the Lady Patriots' losses.

Clarksville struck first with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a single by McKinleigh Guthrie. The Lady Wildcats then scored runs in the fifth and sixth innings with Lindsey Eldridge driving in Katie Dunn in the fifth and Lucy Chilcutt scoring from second base in the sixth on a play during which Henry County committed two errors.

Norris, Lady Wildcats Stifle Lady Bucs

The Clarksville Lady Wildcats softball team took advantage of Beech mistakes and a pitching gem from senior Heather Norris, Monday night, to win the Region 5-AAA semifinal game 6-0 and move on to Wednesday's region championship game at Wilson Central. "Our kids made play after play after play," Clarksville coach Brian Rush said. "I thought our defense was very good. … Defense is something we've been working on all year."

With five freshmen in the starting lineup for the Lady Wildcats, and Beech fielding a young team as well, the game turned on which team's inexperience would surface. "We've played almost 50 games," Rush said. "You hope the freshmen are no longer freshmen."

It was the Lady Bucs who cracked, making five errors and giving up five unearned runs. "We've never made (so many) errors in a game in my whole coaching career," Beech coach Erica Powell said. "Our team is known for great defense and taking hits away from people. We were making errors on routine plays." Rush credited Beech with a great gameplan. Powell was determined Clarksville's more experienced players wouldn't beat them.

Clarksville's speedy freshman right fielder Katie Keen opened the scoring in the second inning. She reached base on an opposite field single into left field, and then scored when Beech shortstop Stevie Baird fielded sophomore designated player Katelyn Devers' ground ball but threw wide of first base and out of play. In the fourth inning, the Lady Wildcats capitalized on two hits, two walks, and two errors to strike for three more runs.

With one out, Keen reached base on an error, stole second and moved to third on a single by Devers, who hit a line drive to Beech third baseman Abbey Brassell, who dived to get her glove on the ball, but couldn't hang on. Devers was erased at second on a force play on Briana Soden's ground ball. She just beat the throw to first to avoid the double play and extend the inning. And the Lady Wildcats took advantage of the opportunity. Norris walked to load the bases, and Keen and Soden then scored on a single by senior shortstop Clare Grady. After Hayley Bearden walked for the third time to load the bases, Harley Key, the courtesy runner for Norris, scored on a Beech error on Peyton Wilson's ground ball.

The final two runs came in the bottom of the sixth. Norris started the inning by reaching base on a Beech error. Grady then hit a ground ball between the third baseman and the pitcher that went for an infield single. Key, the courtesy runner tried to advance to third, but Beech left fielder Ashton Hayden covered the bag and tagged her out on the throw from Baird. But when she tried to nab Grady at second, the throw sailed into right field allowing Grady to score.

Bearden capped the scoring with a home run. The Lady Wildcats scored six runs on five hits and four walks. Norris shut out the Lady Bucs on three hits and three walks. She also struck out four Beech hitters. "Heather's a workhorse," Rush said.

Clarksville, now 33-14 on the season, next takes on District 9-AAA champion Wilson Central for the region 5-AAA title. The win over Beech assured the Lady Wildcats a place in a sectional game, so Wednesday's game against Wilson Central is for the right to host that sectional. "At this time of year, there's no easy teams left," Rush said.

Clarksville High - Northeast to Play 2nd Game in District Softball Tourney

CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — Sometimes all it takes is one play to motivate a team for a rematch. On Tuesday, Clarksville conceded the game on a missed ball from the pitcher to third base to allow a Northeast runner to scamper home as the winning run. However, the Lady Wildcats got another chance to let that loss fuel them, and overpowered their opponent 16-7 in a rematch on Wednesday.

With Northeast holding an unblemished record throughout the District 10-AAA Tournament, the Lady Eagles needed just one win to return home with the District 10-AAA softball crown. And Clarksville first had to defeat Kenwood in the loser's bracket game, and did so by a score of 7-1. Hours later, Northeast took the field as the home team, yet the Lady Wildcats had the home field advantage and used it to their advantage to survive and advance.

Both teams will square off Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Clarksville High in the "if-necessary" game. The winner claims the district championship as both teams have already nailed down spots in next week's region tournament.

Clarksville jumped out to a 2-0 advantage Wednesday in the first inning with one swing. Catcher Haley Bearden crushed a ball to center field, eclipsing a target which stood beyond the wall signaling hitters to aim there. Instead, Bearden sent it over with ease.

McKenzie Rose got the start on the mound for Clarksville. Ace Heather Norris got some time off after pitching in both Clarksville's loss to Northeast Tuesday and Wednesday's win against Kenwood. But eventually, Norris was declared the winning pitcher after first entering in the second inning, and was interchangeable with Rose throughout the game depending on the situation.

Clarksville would add another run on a three-bag error as a simple bunt by Tianna Gray allowed her to round the bases to score after a throw sailed into the right field corner. But a resilient Northeast team wasn't going away easy. Down by three runs, the Lady Eagles came back to tie the game in the second, with Alicia Veltri delivering a RBI single to cap off the big inning.

A tie ballgame would soon become a big deficit for Northeast to climb back out of as the third frame featured six runs on the Clarksville side of the scoreboard. The Lady Wildcats put up three, then Norris delivered in a bases-loaded triple that cleared the bags. With a comfortable lead, Norris and Rose were able to settle down in the circle to limit Northeast to just two base runners in the fourth and fifth inning. The offense rewarded them with four insurance runs in the fifth, extending the lead to 13-4. Northeast would still chip away in desperation mode, scoring three in the bottom of the sixth, but it would not be enough as Clarksville's offense did not skip a beat.

2014 District 10AAA Playoffs

Clarksville 13 Rossview 1, Rossview eliminated

Kenwood 8 Northwest 1, Northwest eliminated

Henry Co 10 West Creek 0, West Creek eliminated

Northeast 8 Springfield 1, Springfield eliminated

Clarksville 11 Kenwood 1

Northeast 1 Henry Co 0

Kenwood 3 Henry Co 0, Henry Co eliminated

Northeast 2 Clarksville 1

Clarksville 7 Kenwood 1, Kenwood eliminated

Clarksville 16 Northeast 7

Clarksville 8 Northeast 6, Clarksville DISTRICT CHAMPIONS

Dickson Co 6 CHS 2 May 24, 2013

• Dickson County 012 111 0 – 6 10 4

• Clarksville High 000 002 0 – 2 3 5

• CHS: H Norris, B Knight and H Bearden; DC: B Lee, D Bryant and R Estes

• WP – Lee, LP – Norris

• Hitters: CHS: Clare Grady: single. Tiana Gray: single. Bearden: single.

CHS 6 Maryville 5, 11 innings May 23, 2013

• Big Hits: H Bearden 4 hits, HR, 1B, 3 RBI... B Soden 1B, RBI... H Norris HR RBI... C Grady HR, RBI...T Gray sac Bunt

• H.Bearden game winning 1B in bottom of 11th

CHS 9 Riverdale 2 May 23, 2013

• H Norris 5 hitter, 2 strikeouts

• Big Hits: H Norris HR, 3 RBI... R Mann 2 2B, RBI... B Knight 2B, RBI... A Reed 1B, 2 RBI

Smyrna 2 CHS 1 May 22, 2013

• Clarksville High 010 000 0 – 1 3 0

• Smyrna 000 101 x – 2 5 1

• CHS: H Norris and H Bearden; Smy: M Prince and R Allen

• WP – Prince, LP – Norris

• Hitters: Norris: single. Knight: single. Reed: single

CHS 7 Collierville 1 May 21, 2013

• H Norris complete game, 7 strikeouts

• Hitters: Norris: two singles, HR, 2 RBIs. Mann: single, HR, 3 RBIs. Grady: two singles.

• Collierville 001 000 0 – 1 4 1

• Clarksville High 103 021 x – 7 13 1

• Clarksville: H Norris and H Bearden; Coll: B Wisher and J Conlan

• WP–Norris, LP – Wisher

CHS 4 Ravenwood 0, 10 innings May 17, 2013

• Hitters: H Norris 2B, 1B... H Bearden sac Bunt, B Knight 1B, A Reed 1B, C Grady 1B

• Def Play: H Thompson, LF threw out runner at Plate

CHS 3 Mt. Juliet 0 May 13, 2013

• MJHS: 000 0000 — 0 3 1

• CHS: 003 0000 — 3 6 0

• WP: H Norris, LP: L Woodard

• Leaders CHS: H Norris - 2B, 2 RBIs, R Mann- 2B, 1B, A Guthrie- 1B, 1 RBI, A Reed-2B, C Grady- 1B

CHS 3 Dickson Co 2 District Championship May 9, 2013

• C Grady 2 1B, RBI... H Bearden1B, T Gray 1B.

• Clarksville High 001 011 0 – 3 4 2

• Dickson County 000 000 2 – 2 4 4

• CHS: H Norris and HBearden; DC: B Lee and Pendergrass

• WP – Norris, LP – Lee

CHS 4 Northeast 2 May 8, 2013

• H Norris pitched another complete game

• Hitters: CHS: R Mann: 2 singles, RBI. Norris: single. Bearden: single, RBI. B Knight: single

• Northeast 100 000 1 – 2 4 5

• Clarksville High 002 200 x – 4 7 3

• CHS: H Norris and H Bearden; NE: Ci Aragon, E Webster and M Donner

• WP– Norris, LP – Aragon

CHS 6 West Creek 0 May 3, 2013

• H Norris 7 strikouts, 2 hitter

• WP — H Norris (CHS), LP — K Rolan (WCHS)

• Hitting Leaders: K Patterson, triple and 2 RBIs, H Bearden 2 doubles, B Knight 3 singles, H Norris 2 singles, A Guthrie 2 singles, A Reed 2 singles

2012 District 10 AAA Playoffs

West Creek 10 Springfield 0 ... Springfield Eliminated

Northeast 11 Henry Co 1 ... Henry Co Eliminated

Kenwood 2 West Creek 0 ... West Creek Eliminated

Dickson Co 2 Northwest 1 ... Northwest Eliminated

Clarksville 4 Rossview 0 ... Rossview Eliminated

Clarksville 6 Kenwood 0

Dickson Co 6 Northeast 5

Northeast 6 Kenwood 0 ... Kenwood Eliminated

Clarksville 4 Dickson Co 1

Northeast 11 Dickson Co 3 ...Dickson Co Eliminated

Clarksville 2 Northeast 0 ...CHS DISTRICT CHAMPS!

2011 District 10 AAA Playoffs

Clarkville 1 Henry Co 0 (Henry Co eliminated)

Rossview 10 Northwest 0 (Northwest eliminated)

Dickson Co 6 Kenwood 2 (Kenwood eliminated)

West Creek 4 Springfield 2 (Springfield eliminated)

Northeast 10 West Creek 0 (West Creek eliminated)

Rossview 3 Clarksville 0 (8 innings)

Northeast 3 Dickson Co 0

Dickson Co 5 Clarksville 2 (Clarksville eliminated)

Northeast 1 Rossview 0

Rossview 4 Dickson Co 3 (Dickson Co elimininated)

Northeast 5 Rossview 0 District Champions: Northeast