The first time Tabb’s softball team faced eventual Bay Rivers champion Smithfield this season, they cemented themselves as district title contenders by handing the Packers their first loss with a 2-0 victory back in mid-April.
Roughly a month later, Smithfield avenged that loss by edging the Tigers 1-0 on the final day of the regular season to deny Tabb a share of the district crown.
After both teams prevailed in extra innings in Monday’s Region I quarterfinals – Tabb edged Park View in 11 innings, 2-1, while Smithfield held off Eastern View in nine innings, 4-3 – the two teams will meet for a third time this season in Wednesday’s semifinals.
And while the Tigers admit to enjoying the program’s first regional tournament appearance since 1999, they insist the approach is business as usual entering Wednesday’s matchup, which will secure the winner a trip to next week’s state tournament.
“Making it this far is a big step for us, but we still want to go further,” said Tabb senior third baseman Kayla St. John, who’s been the face of the Tigers’ program the last four years. “I’ve always wanted a chance at a [state-championship] ring, but never made it past districts, so we’re really excited to be in this position.”
Behind the emerging young arm of sophomore Ashtyn Clark and the always-reliable St. John available in relief, Tabb has limited Smithfield to a single run in their two meetings, which is why St. John says the key for her Tigers advancing past Wednesday will be their approach at the plate against Smithfield star Sydney Gay, the Bay Rivers District Pitcher of the Year.
“We have to limit the number of strikeouts and be selective,” St. John said.
Clark’s complete game shutout, combined with Jordan Brewer’s two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, was the difference in the Tigers’ 2-0 win back in April that handed Smithfield its first loss of the season.
Even though Tabb cut the number of strikeouts against Gay in half when the two teams met a month later, Gay held the Tigers to two hits as the Packers held on for a 1-0 win.
“We cut our number of strikeouts in half (in the 1-0 loss), which was one of our goals, but she’s an excellent pitcher, and to beat her you have the ball in play and make her defense work,” Tabb’s six-year coach Ashley Meredith said.
Meredith said that, like her players, she’s excited for the biggest game Tabb softball has played in more than a decade. She couldn’t be more proud, though, for the poise they have shown in helping the program reach heights it hadn’t seen since before some of her players were even born.
“It’s unfortunate that two Bay Rivers teams are competing for one spot (in the state tournament) because, me personally, I like to see the district go as far as possible,” Meredith said. “But we’re certainly excited to play [Smithfield] again. I tell my girls every single day how proud I am of them for how hard they’ve worked to get the program one step closer to the ultimate goal of reaching states.”
