![]() ![]() "We hadn't beaten them in a long time, so for our program that was huge, because they're awesome. "When we beat Baylor, I just felt like we got over a hump," Freeland said. Since 2002 - the last time there was not an area team that played for a title - there have been 32 state champions and 26 runners-up among area programs.īy the time the calendar flipped to May, Silverdale had split the regular-season series with Class 3A state tournament qualifier Soddy-Daisy and beat Baylor 5-0, a win that earned respect and instilled confidence in the Lady Seahawks. Those wins ensured that at least one Chattanooga-area team has won a softball championship in each of the past 20 seasons, with eight different programs part of that run. The Lady Seahawks finished off their championship just moments before Baylor wrapped up its eighth straight DII-AA title on an adjoining field. On the way to winning its first state title since 2018, Silverdale opened the tournament by rallying for three six-inning runs for a two-run win, then posted a pair of one-run wins over Columbia Academy - which had won the DII-A title at the Spring Fling the past two years. "Our kids have got the fight, the heart, the grit and the resilience it takes against tough competition. "We had to finish it, because if you let a team like that hang around, then they've got the momentum and are a lot more dangerous. "We would've found a place to check back into if we had to, but our mindset was to get it done today," Freeland said. Junior Ella Cunningham pitched a five-hit, nine-strikeout gem and drove in both of her team's runs in a 2-1 win over Columbia Academy in the Division II-AA softball final, securing the second TSSAA state championship in program history. The backup plan meant the group would have been left scrambling, but thanks to another clutch performance, that wasn't needed. Looking to send a message of confidence to her young team, Silverdale Baptist Academy softball coach Jackie Freeland had checked the Lady Seahawks out of their hotel Thursday morning.
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