Feisty Fillies race back to Spring Fling on Byers walk-off

BY JEFF CATE (TEAM FYN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR)

CHARLESTON, Tenn. – Walker Valley’s softball program won over 30 games in 2024 and this season, the squad from Bradley County added trips to Spring Fling in Murfreesboro to the list as well. A pitcher’s duel for the first 7 innings ended in the 8th inning on a Nessa Byers walk-off double to give Walker Valley a 1-0 win over Oakland on Friday night at Larry Haney Field.

Kyleigh Higgs was in the circle for Oakland while UTEP signee Ryann Presswood would be on the bump for Walker Valley and both would deliver throughout the game, combining for 13 strikeouts. The first scoring threat in this  TSSAA Class 4A sectional matchup came in the bottom of the third inning when Brylie Davis, after being walked with 2 outs, advanced to third base on 2 consecutive Higgs wild pitches. The Lady Patriots would escape with no damage done when Lady Mustangs senior Karly Blackwell grounded out to end the inning.

Indiana signee Jada Ellison led off the fourth inning with a single. Ellison came into the game with 51 stolen bases on the season and was looking to show off her speed for the Lady Pats after Chloe Aaron sent a base hit into centerfield. But Blackwell would show off her arm, throwing a perfect ball on a rope to catcher Morgan Rice, who applied the tag for the out. “I knew that Jada was going to try to score if the ball was hit through the infield”, Blackwell said. “I thought of all the times that Morgan and I had practiced this exact play in practice. I knew it would take a lot to get her (Ellison) because she’s super fast. But as the ball was rolling to me, I knew I was prepared for this moment”.

The Feisty Fillies would get runners in scoring position and an opportunity to put the first dent in the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning. Madison Thomas would get on base in the first at bat with a single. Brylie Davis got a single of her own on a grounder to third, but an Oakland error would get Thomas over to third base and Davis to second base, bringing Blackwell to the plate. Higgs intentionally walked Blackwell, bringing Amy Benson to the plate with the bases loaded. Benson would make contact on an 0-2 pitch but Ellison would break on the ball in left field just in time to get the Lady Patriots out of another jam.

Both teams would go three up and three down in the seventh inning, including 3 strikeouts combined between Presswood, who would cross the 200 strikeout mark for the season, and Higgs. This gave the capacity crowd some free softball; the free softball would not last long. Walker Valley would get things going in the bottom of the eighth inning when Blackwell reached base in the second at-bat. Benson ground into a fielder’s choice to shortstop, forcing Blackwell out at second base but keeping Benson on base with a chance to end the game. Freshman Nessa Byers would do just that in the very next at bat, nailing a line drive into left field. Benson would race home from first base, beating the tag and emptying the dugout, or the corral.

“She works all the time”, Walker Valley coach Lauren Limburg said about Byers. “She is one of our hardest workers on the team. For her to come out in the biggest moment and get that hit, that speaks volumes to her preparation and work ethic. She does not back down to anybody”.

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“I just couldn’t be prouder of the them”, Limburg continued while  talking about her team. “They fought, they believed, and they never gave up.” Throughout the ups and downs of the game, we never lost the belief that we were going to win. It’s built on trust, and love, and the bond that our team has.

Walker Valley improves to 32-8 overall & will take on Page in their first game of the 2025 TSSAA Spring Fling Softball Championship at 3pm eastern on Tuesday May 20th. The win was also the Feisty Fillies’ 600th win in program history.

Follow Jeff on X at: https://x.com/TheJeffCate