Triple play fails to faze Gretna

By Ted Allen

Published: May 26, 2008

GRETNA — Hitting into a triple play to end the first inning of a Region B playoff game might cause some softball coaches to throw a fit.
But Gretna coach Ketina Brooks reacted with a smile, Monday at home against Randolph-Henry in the Hawks’ first regional appearance since 2002.
“The only option we had was to laugh it off,” Brooks said after watching her first three hitters get on base before cleanup batter Teresa Dalton hit a liner off the glove of R-H pitcher Sarah Brankley into the mitt of second baseman Kim Peterson, who stepped on the bag to retire Nichole Mills and threw to third to get Ceseley Haynes. “The chances of that ever happening is probably one in a million.”
She was confident Gretna would have its share of scoring opportunities after that, and that it would capitalize on them the next time around.
She was right on both accounts.
The Hawks got triples from Haynes and Cheryl Crews and a double from Dalton in a three-run third before Mills doubled and scored on the second of two errors in a three-run fourth in a 7-0 shutout of the Statesmen.
“We had worked really hard on hitting and it really came through this game,” said Mills, who launched a shot into the gap in left center in the fourth before getting the green light from Brooks rounding third as left fielder Tiffany Setzer mishandled the ball near the fence. “I was just waiting for my pitch and I saw it and I went after it, then I just ran with all I had.”
The Hawks provided more than enough run support for Dalton, the Dogwood District pitcher of the year.
After striking out 13 in Friday’s Dogwood District championship win over Altavista, Dalton fanned only seven Statesmen but tossed a two-hitter, facing only two more than the minimum — leadoff batter Brittni Jones, who tripled over Haynes in the fourth and walked in the sixth.
“When Teresa’s on, in her zone, her job is to get ground balls and make the defense make routine plays,” Brooks said.
“They rely on her and she relies on them.”
After hitting into the triple play to end the first, Dalton needed just four pitches to retire Randolph-Henry in order in the top of the second.
In the top of the seventh Shana McCargo reached on the Hawks’ only error of the game, spraining her ankle as she stepped on first base on her hit to third.
But her pinch runner, Taren Morris, was doubled up by second baseman Nina Compton on the next play on a grounder by Setzer.
“That was the perfect play to end the game,” Dalton said. “It was exciting.”
“We’re a balanced team,” Haynes added. “Our offense is just as good as our defense.”
Gretna travels to the winner of Monday’s game between Madison County and Page County for Wednesday’s semifinals, with a Group A state berth at stake.
“It’s unknown from here on out,” Brooks said. “We want to take it one game at a time, play with confidence and have fun.”
“We’re not stopping until we get to the top,” Haynes added.