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NEWPORT – The future is now for the Grainger Lady Grizzlies.

With a first-year head coach and the performance of a lifetime from a freshman Thursday night, the Lady Grizzlies picked up their first district tournament championship since 2017 as they beat Greeneville twice, 4-3 and 10-8. Grainger will host the first round of the regional tournament at The Den against a team from upper East Tennessee on Monday.

Grainger skipper Ben Willford harkened back to before the season as he reflected on what his team accomplished on Thursday night. “Back three months ago when I was asked about this team, I said our goal was to win the district and we did. It took a team effort: pitching, catching, fielding.”

The tourney title was powered by freshman Jaylee Hayes who socked two homers and drove in five runs in the two games against the Lady Greene Devils. No hit was bigger than the three-run shot she hit in the sixth inning of the second contest which proved to be the game-winner. “I can’t say enough about Jaylee,” Williford said of his fantastic freshman. “I was asked who I thought would shine on this team before the season and I said Jaylee Hayes.”

In the first game, the Lady Grizzlies didn’t allow a hit through the first three innings and then survived mounting miscues through the next four frames to win 4-3 and force the second contest of the day with the Lady Greene Devils.

Grainger struck first when McKenna Key doubled and then scored on a single by Hayes in the opening inning. Another run was pushed across in the second when pitcher Alison Byrd started things off with a single to left field and later came home on Amanda Kledizk’s single up the middle to make it 2-0. The next Lady Grizz run was an emphatic one as Hayes connected on a towering home run to center field. Cierstin Phifer doubled and took advantage of a two-base error to score to make it 4-0 in the third.

Greeneville had a chance to do some damage in the bottom of the fourth when they loaded the bases but Byrd got out of the jam with no runs allowed. After that however, the Lady Greene Devils took advantage of errors by Grainger to climb back into the contest. Madison Carpenter and Lydia Darnell both hit singles for Greeneville and both scored on a hit by Lauren Million that cut the lead in half in the fifth. The home team pulled to within one run in the sixth when pinch hitter Trudi Aiken reached on a error and came around safely on Sloan Rader’s single to left center field.

The Lady Grizzlies had a chance to get some insurance runs in the final three innings as they got five runners aboard but couldn’t get them in. That set up high drama in the bottom of the seventh as Byrd tried to close things out. After an initial out to lead off, Million reached based on an error to bring the winning run to the plate. Byrd rose to the occasion as she fanned the next two batters which included a strikeout on a 3-2 count to end the contest and force the winner-take-all second game.

In game two, Grainger rallied with six runs in the last two innings to complete the doubleheader victory over the Lady Greene Devils, 10-8. The game was a back-and-forth affair throughout as Grainger led 4-0 and got down 6-4 before Hayes became the hero in the sixth inning. Suzanne Barker was hit by a pitch and Key reached on an error that allowed Barker to score. Greeneville decided to intentionally walk Brooklyn Copley which proved to be a titanic mistake as Hayes obliterated the first offering to the plate for a three-run bomb that gave Grainger the lead at 8-8. The Lady Devils responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to knot the score at 8-8.

‘When they walked Brooklyn, I knew this was her time,” Williford said of Hayes’ moonshot that plated three runs. “She let it all go and it was a great hit by her. Jaylee is a great kid, you just couldn’t ask for a better kid than her.”

Unphased with Greeneville tying the game, the Lady Grizzlies went right back to work in the top of the seventh as Barker was once again plunked by a Greeneville pitch. Copley flew out to center but in their attempt to get ball back to the plate, Greeneville committed a costly error that allowed Barker to score. Hayes drew a walk and later stole home to add an insurance run. Copley closed things out with three straight outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the 10-8 win. One of the key hits early in the game was a two-run, bases loaded single by Destanee Davis. Byrd was a workhorse as she pitched 11.1 innings in the two games with two earned runs and 10 strikeouts.

“Byrd is just a competitor,” Williford said. “She wants the ball all the time and if I let her pitch every game, she would. I am super proud of her as she just gutted it out. I saw her tweak her ankle a little bit and when I asked her if she was okay, she of course said yes but I knew she wasn’t. I had confidence in Brooklyn coming into the game then.”

The Lady Grizzlies will be in Rutledge for the first round of the region and Williford said his team can’t wait to get back home and play before the home folks. “Hopefully, we can get a big crowd out to the ball park so they can see what this team has been doing all year. They fought and competed and I hope we have brought a spirit of happiness to our community.”