In between innings on Saturday, the Landrum softball team had its back against the wall.
Head coach Tucker Hamrick told his team that anybody could be the hero in this game. He told them to be ready.
Shelby Morris was the hero. In fact, she was the Lady Cardinals’ hero twice.
Morris came up in the bottom of the seventh with one out and two runners on base and singled in the game-winning RBI to lead Landrum to a 6-5 victory over McBee to remain unbeaten in the 1A state playoff regionals.
“(I felt) like I won the lottery,” Morris said. “It was crazy.”
The Landrum bats had been kept off-balance for the first four innings by McBee pitcher Kolby Atkinson. The Lady Panther bats had backed her up as well.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Lady Cardinals came to the plate down 4-0.
Coach Hamrick reminded his team of a decision that he had challenged them to make earlier in the week. He challenged them to decide to win the game.
Taylor Wahler started the inning with a bunt single. Lauren Pitts and Jordan Farmer followed with singles.
With the bases loaded, Atkinson Bre Cuff walked to bring a runner home. She then walked Sydnie Brown to bring another run across the plate. Two batters later, Morris doubled in two RBIs to tie the game at 4-4.
The Lady Panthers scored one more run in the sixth inning, but the Lady Cardinals matched it. In the sixth, Wahler reached on a fielder’s choice and was driven in by a Pitts double.
Farmer came out and retired the side on six pitches in the top of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, Brown singled and Taylor Jenkins walked to set up Morris’s game-winning hit.
“Once we had a little success, we realized we could keep doing it,” Hamrick said. “They proved they made the decision to come out and win today.”