AISA CLASS AAA TITLE: Macon East goes 'worst to first' for its ninth softball championship

Macon East celebrates Miya Tatum’s homer in the Lady Knights’ state championship win over Lee-Scott on Saturday at Lagoon Park. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Going from worst to first, Macon East Academy’s softball team made a remarkable turnaround in a year’s time.

In 23 previous AISA fast pitch tournaments, the Knights have 18 appearances, nine championships, four runner-up appearances, 15 appearances in the final four and two fifth-place finishes.

“We say if you’re going to win whatever class we’re in, you’ve got to come through us to win it,” said Macon East coach Glynn Lott, who made the transition from baseball to softball when the AISA introduced fast pitch softball in 1999.

The Knights never went two and out until last year’s rebuilding effort made a quick exit from the Class AA state tournament, losing to Southern and Patrician in back-to-back games..

“We lost a ton of seniors from the year before,” Lott said. “We lost four girls who went to college (to play softball). We were young. We had one senior who hadn’t played a lot before last year and Kylee (Smith) was the only junior (playing).”

A year later, the Knights returned to the state tournament, this time as an AAA team. Macon East scored 46 runs in four games in the tournament, defeating Lee-Scott Academy 8-7 on Jamya Powell’s walkoff hit in the bottom of the seventh to win the program’s seventh state championship as an AAA team.

“It was exciting, knowing we can make it (back to the championship),” Powell said. “It feels great to win it.”

Like they did in every other game in the tournament, Macon East started out strong, weathered a late rally and pulled out a victory in its final at bat. In Saturday’s game, Macon East gave up four runs in the sixth inning and another in the seventh to tie the game at 7-7 before scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh to win it.

“That’s kind of been our M.O. this weekend,” Lott said. “We get a lead, then we blow it, then we have to come back and win it in the last inning. And I think that helps because we’ve been in a bunch of situations.”

With all the momentum on Lee-Scott’s side, slapper Lathan Johnson pulled a ball over the left fielder’s head, then used her speed for a leadoff triple.  

“Lathan’s been hitting it hard all weekend, just hitting line shots to everybody,” Lott said. “She’s been frustrated, but she’s so fast, probably the fastest girl in the tournament, so you like to see her get a chance to run. That was huge.”

Kylee Smith and Kaiden Byrum were intentionally walked to load the bases and set up a force play at every base, but Powell pulled a pitch into left field to end the game and touch off a wild celebration in the Macon East dugout.

Powell had turned on the previous pitch so quickly she drove it backward with her swing, but relaxed before swinging at the next pitch.

“Just hit the ball, score the run,” Powell said. “Just put it in play somewhere so we can score the run and win state.”

Macon East had rallied from a 2-1 deficit with two runs in the fourth, using an RBI single by Smith and an RBI groundout by Byrom, and four runs in the fifth with a two-run blast deep over the center field fence by Miya Tatum, an RBI double by Smith and an RBI single by Byrom for a 7-2 lead.

Just as quickly, the Knights handed it back. Back-to-back singles loaded the bases for the Warriors and finished the day for Macon East starter Casey Stengell, but Smith entered the circle and struck out Bri Totty, hit Ansley Tate to force in a run and surrendered a two-run single by Lindsey Joiner that made it 7-6.

The Warriors tied the game in the seventh following a throwing error by Powell as Janie Reeves scored on McKenzie Johnson’s grounder to second. In the ensuing throw back to second to get Johnson, Karlee Baker took off for home but was tagged out at the plate by Byrom, leaving the score at 7-7.

The heroics by Powell, who played last year as an eighth grader, was gratifying for a group of Knights that couldn’t live up to the high standards of the program a year ago but brought home another trophy in 2023. 

“It makes (winning a state championship) a lot better, just to see them grow up,” Lott said.

Joining Powell on the all-tournament team were teammates Tatum, Smith and Stengell, the Lee-Scott trio of Joiner, Baker and Totty, along with Reanna Johnson and Tenlee Parden of Clarke Prep.  

AISA 2023 STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT RESULTS

CLASS A

North River Christian 4, Snook Christian 1

Crenshaw Christian 13, Coosa Valley 1

South Choctaw 18, Heritage Christian 0

Snook Christian 14, Coosa Valley 8

Crenshaw Christian 14, North River Christian 1

Lowndes Academy 11, South Choctaw 1

South Choctaw 14, Snook Christian 2

North River Christian 11, Heritage Christian 3

Crenshaw Christian 3, Lowndes Academy 0

South Choctaw 10, North River Christian 0

Lowndes Academy 12, South Choctaw 4

FINALS: Lowndes Academy 6, Crenshaw Christian 2; Lowndes Academy 4, Crenshaw Christian 0 (Lowndes wins A championship)

CLASS AA

Hooper Academy 8, Pickens Academy 0

Edgewood Academy 10, Patrician Academy 5

Chambers Academy 4, Southern Academy 2

Abbeville Christian 10, Jackson Academy 2

Patrician Academy 5, Pickens Academy 1

Southern Academy 5, Jackson Academy 3

Hooper Academy 4, Edgewood Academy 3

Abbeville Christian 11, Chambers Academy 1

Patrician Academy 11, Chambers Academy 10

Southern Academy 6, Edgewood Academy 5

Hooper Academy 9, Abbeville Christian 4

Patrician Academy 7, Southern Academy 5

Abbeville Christian 7, Patrician Academy 2

Finals: Hooper Academy 4, Abbeville Christian 2 (Hooper wins AA championship)

CLASS AAA

Glenwood School 14, Fort Dale Academy 2

Macon East Academy 17, Bessemer Academy 8

Springwood School 3, Clarke Prep School 1

Lee-Scott Academy 11, Monroe Academy 8

Fort Dale Academy 4, Bessemer Academy 1

Clarke Prep School 7, Monroe Academy 2

Macon East Academy 13, Glenwood School 8

Lee-Scott Academy 10, Springwood School 1

Springwood School 13, Fort Dale Academy 5

Clarke Prep School 8, Glenwood School 7

Macon East Academy 8, Lee-Scott Academy 6

Clarke Prep School 7, Springwood School 6

Lee-Scott Academy 5, Clarke Prep School 0

Finals: Macon East Academy 8, Lee-Scott Academy 7 (Macon East wins AAA championship)