Knights thwart 'Pack's efforts

Evans senior Taylor Jones was just one of many Lady Knight softball players wearing a grin from ear to ear after a game at Greenbrier last week.

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Evans beat Greenbrier 1-0 in eight innings for the first win over its archrival since 1999.

"It's indescribable," Jones said. "It's the best feeling I've ever felt in my life."

Other Lady Knights echoed those feelings moments after the only run of the game crossed the plate in the top of the eighth inning. Junior Laura Brown singled to left centerfield with one out and a runner on third base. That baserunner, senior Kelsey Donnelly, came in to score to give Evans the 1-0 lead.

Sophomore pitcher Jenny Shepherd, who allowed only three hits in eight innings of work, took care of the rest in the bottom of the eighth. She struck out the final two batters of the game with the tying run on third base to seal the victory.

"It's not like a state championship or anything, but it is a big boost for our program," Evans softball coach Colette Cassedy said.

The region win followed a strong showing at a weekend tournament in Marietta, Ga.

Evans won the silver bracket championship after Brown threw two no-hitters, and the Lady Knights posted a 6-1 record at the two-day tournament. The wins included a 2-1 victory over Class AAAAA No. 9 Lassiter.

Cassedy said her team brought that winning attitude with them to Greenbrier.

"I think playing this past weekend helped. We saw teams like this just about every game," she said. "The girls saw that they could hang with some of the big programs."

Greenbrier, now with one region loss, struggled in its weekend tournament at Patriots Park, and the loss to Evans marked the team's fourth loss in six games.

"We just need good practice," Greenbrier softball coach Garrett Black said. "We've hit a little drought here, but we're going to be fine. No need to hit the panic button. We've gone through stretches like this before."

Even with the loss to Evans, Greenbrier still holds its own destiny in the Region 3B-AAAA standings. The Lady Wolfpack face Lakeside on the road Monday and Richmond Academy at home in a double-header Tuesday. Three Greenbrier wins in that stretch would give the Lady Wolfpack another regular-season subregion championship.