CLASS 1A SOFTBALL

Nemo Vista stuns Concord, wins in 8

Lady Red Hawks battle back from 4-run deficit in 7th to take improbable victory

FAYETTEVILLE -- Concord was four runs ahead and one out away from winning the Class 1A softball title Saturday afternoon at Bogle Field.

Concord never got to celebrate.

2016 state champions

CLASS 7A

TEAM COACH RECORD

Bentonville Kent Early 30-1

CLASS 6A

TEAM COACH RECORD

Sheridan Tamara Strawn 23-5

CLASS 5A

TEAM COACH RECORD

Vilonia Kevin Sullivan 27-7

CLASS 4A

TEAM COACH RECORD

Mena Ray Hunter 22-7

CLASS 3A

TEAM COACH RECORD

Bald Knob Todd Finley 36-0

CLASS 2A

TEAM COACH RECORD

Spring Hill Charley Porter 16-6

CLASS 1A

TEAM COACH RECORD

Nemo Vista Mark Andrews 25-3

Somehow, Nemo Vista did.

The Lady Red Hawks used a three-run home run and an RBI double -- after the final out slipped out of Concord's grasp -- to force extra innings, and scored one in the bottom of the eighth to beat Concord 8-7 for the 1A title.

"We had that third out twice pretty much and it slipped through her hands," Concord Coach Michael Strother said. "You sometimes wonder about divine intervention and it seemed like something happened to that effect right there, because we had it and then in an instant it was gone. I hate it for the girls, because that's one of them that's going to hurt, sting them for a while."

Nemo Vista won the year's first two meetings between the teams, 5-2 and 7-0, but Saturday was a different.

Concord (30-5) took control with a five-run second inning and appeared poised to win after tacking on two runs in the sixth and taking the four-run cushion to the seventh.

"It's just this group of kids -- they're never going to give up or panic," Nemo Vista Coach Mark Andrews said. "It looked bad at times and really, really bleak at times and they just keep grinding it out and believing. And that's what they've done all year."

Nemo Vista (25-3) entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 7-3 and was down to its final out when Lady Red Hawks catcher Chase Paladino belted a three-run home run over the left-field wall to cut the lead to a run.

Still, the game nearly ended on the next play.

Nemo Vista's Morgan Smith hit a grounder to Concord second baseman Macy Morgan, who fielded it cleanly and threw to first baseman Madison Robbins. But the ball squirted away from Robbins, allowing Smith to reach safely and extend the game.

Nemo Vista junior Sade Harrison ripped an RBI double to the center-field wall in the next at-bat, scoring Smith and tying the game 7-7 as elated Nemo Vista fans cheered and Concord fans sat stunned at the sudden, drastic turn of events.

Once the seventh-inning fireworks tied it, Concord failed to score a run after its lead runner was tagged out at third base in the tiebreaker eighth inning.

The Lady Redhawks finished off the improbable rally with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning when Jacie Andrews beat a throw to home plate to cap the comeback over a stunned Concord team that had been on the brink of winning the title.

"I kept thinking that at some point in time, we were going to put a string of hits together and at least make some noise to close the gap a little bit," Andrews said. "And obviously we did, tied it up and won it."

Ashton Andrews, Nemo Vista's senior pitcher and three-hole hitter, was named title-game MVP.

Sports on 05/22/2016

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