During a team’s march to a state championship, one or two plays make the difference and create the feeling a club is destined for glory.

During the opening day of the Class AAAAA state softball tournament
at the South Commons Softball Complex in Columbus, top-ranked Woodstock had a defining moment, as little-used sophomore Carrie Williams blasted a walk-off, two-run homer in an 11-inning, 4-2 victory over Peachtree Ridge.

Williams, who had not hit a home run since she was 10, kept Woodstock in the winner’s bracket, as the Lady Wolverines concluded their stay in Columbus with a 5-0 triumph over Mill Creek to reach the state finals for the second year in a row.

“All those extra innings and I don’t usually bat, oh my God,” said a much relieved Williams, who did not expect to get into the game. “It was an inside pitch. I kind of thought [the pitcher] would go inside, so I tried to relax. When I hit it, I was like, Oh my gosh, I hit it. I saw [the left fielder] hit the fence, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh,' it went over. I was so excited.”

In the tournament opener against Warner Robins, Woodstock was in control
until the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Demonettes trailed 5-0 before rallying late. They had the go-ahead run at first base, but Kari Chambers got Amber Conlon to ground out to first base to curb the threat and give the Lady Wolverines a 5-3 lead.

The victory set up a match against Peachtree Ridge. The Lady Lions had shut out Woodstock in the teams’ two previous meetings, including a 1-0 victory in eight innings on Oct. 21 at the North Sectionals at Twin Creeks Softball
Complex in Woodstock.

Like they had for 15 innings in the regular season, Peachtree Ridge and ace Jackie Samuels held Woodstock scoreless for the first eight innings.

Chambers also held the Lady Lions at bay until the ninth inning when Peachtree Ridge pushed across a run thanks to the international tiebreaker. Both teams managed to plate the runner that opened the inning at second base in the ninth and 10th frames to prolong the stalemate.

The Lady Wolverines held Peachtree Ridge scoreless in the 11th, as Chambers retired Kensi Weir on a sacrifice bunt and struck out Chelsea Parrish. The strikeout stranded Callie Fernandez, who was sacrificed from second base, at third base.

Having stranded eight runners on base in the eighth, ninth and 10th frames, it appeared Woodstock would suffer a similar fate in the final inning.

Betsy Lawson, who began the inning at second base, was sacrificed to third base by Brooke Deese. Samuels struck out Nikki Henry, and with two outs Williams came to the plate. Her drive sailed over the fence in left field to score Deese and give Woodstock a win away from playing for a state championship for a second year in a row.

“If I had known [Williams] was going to do that, I would’ve put her in a long time ago,” Woodstock head coach Tonya Sebring said. “I had a good feeling she was going to come through and get us a base hit. The homer just made it a little sweeter. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Woodstock punched its ticket to Tuesday’s state championship rematch with Collins Hill with a shutout of Mills Creek.

Engaged in a pitcher’s duel with Mill Creek starter Katy Hackett, Chambers retired the first 10 batters before Chelsea Lee reached on an error. Chambers lost the no-hitter when Amberlie Saxton singled to left field.

With runners on first and second base with one out, Chambers got out of the jam by giving up a pop-up and a line drive to Brooke Deese in left field in the fourth inning. Lee singled in the sixth inning for the Lady Hawks final hit of the game.

Woodstock ended the stalemate in the sixth inning, scoring five runs on four hits and taking advantage on a Mill Creek error.

Gabbi Arcuri, who had been held hitless in Columbus, slapped a single to right field to lead off the sixth inning. It was the Lady Wolverines first hit off Hackett. Arcuri moved to second on a sacrifice and went to third on a single by Nikki Roddy.

Amanda Wheeless, who led Woodstock with a .400 average in three games in Columbus, laid down a bunt that Saxton, the Mill Creek third baseman, fielded. Saxton chose not to throw to first base, fearing Arcuri would break for home.

With the bases loaded, Jessica Symanski bunted. Saxton fielded the bunt and threw home, but catcher Stephanie Konkle’s foot came off the plate. Arcuri slid home and gave Woodstock a 1-0 lead.

Tori Moody followed with a single to center field to score Roddy and Wheeless.

Symanski came around to score on a throwing error by the third baseman, and Moody advanced to third base.
Lawson capped the scoring with a single to left field to score Moody and give Woodstock a five-run advantage.
“We just made the adjustments, and hitting is contagious,” Moody said. “Gabbi got it started, and we all just caught on. We are in the hot spot now.”

Woodstock opened the tournament in a painful way, as Roddy and Wheeless were hit by pitches to start the game against Warner Robins on Thursday.

Pitcher Kristen Graham settled down and struck out the next two hitters, but Lawson hit one of her two, two-out, RBI singles to put the Lady Wolverines on the board. Lawson’s other single came in the third inning and drove in Wheeless, who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI in the victory.

Wheeless also broke open the game in the top of seventh inning that proved to be the difference in the game.

Junior Jessica Martin led off the seventh inning with a pinch-hit single. She moved to second on a sacrifice and to third base on a single by Roddy. Wheeless slapped a two-out single past a diving infielder and into center field to drive in two runs and give the Lady Wolverines a commanding 4-0 lead.

Wheeless moved to second base on the throw to the plate from the outfield and scored on an error.

Leading by five runs, Woodstock had the game in hand, but defensive miscues in the final stanza allowed the Demonettes to rally.

Warner Robins scored three runs on three hits and took advantage of two errors.

Katie Farinelli, who went 3-for-4, drove in Kittery Maine with a two-out single.

Lauren Graham, representing the tying run, reached base on an infield error, and Chambers intentionally walked Graham to load the bases.

The Woodstock ace, who pitched 25 innings and allowed five runs on 15 hits and struck out 18 during the tournament, ended the threat by getting Conlon to ground out to first base.

“We were not going to be denied [Thursday],” Sebring said. “We were just trying to hang in there and hope that things fall our way. That is what we’ve been trying to do all year.”