CHURCH HILL — Lela Byrd was flying high on Monday, doing it all for Unicoi County in the Lady Blue Devils' 5-4 Region 1-AAA semifinal elimination upset win at Volunteer.
Byrd took the win in the circle — going the distance and striking out 10 — and also did
significant damage at the plate, notably in the opening frame with a two-run home run that gave the Lady Blue Devils the momentum early.
Unicoi County (21-8) will play Upper Lakes Conference rival David Crockett for a sixth time this season on Wednesday for the regional title. Crockett was a 15-5 winner over Grainger on Monday. Both teams also clinched sectional berths.
“(My players) tend to give me anxiety a little bit at the end, but a win is a win and that’s all I can ask for,” Unicoi County coach Abby Hensley said. “At David Crockett, Lela struggled at the plate a little bit and she knew that. Going into this game, Ik she was a lot stronger mentally at the plate.
“At the last three days of practice, we prepared for Addyson’s speed. I used to pitch, so I was able to live-pitch to them and bring the speed to them. We worked the corners, up high and outside and we were prepared.”
Byrd noted that not too many players are able to get ahold of one of Volunteer hurler Addyson Fisher’s pitches. The Virginia Tech signee had been on a roll as of late, but the Erwin crew got to her early and often.
“First off, Addyson is a great pitcher,” Byrd said. “We went into the game knowing that she was going to live on the outside and that we had to take it that way in order to hit her. That was a great way to contribute to our momentum.”
Kianna Woodward got on base with one out for Unicoi County to start the game and three
pitches later, on an 0-2 count, Byrd flew the coop with her bomb to right field.
Volunteer did respond in the bottom of the first with an unearned run by leadoff hitter Jayden Ford. Ford got all the way around thanks to a combination of a wild pitch and an error.
The Lady Falcons (26-7) after that, however, didn’t muster much offense as Byrd shut down the heart of the lineup until the seventh inning. Volunteer’s 3-4-5 hitters through the first innings combined to go 0-for-8.
The Lady Blue Devils added on in the fourth thanks to a two-out solo home run from Peyton Higgins. It padded the lead and gave Unicoi coach Hensley some breathing room.
“Peyton is a great DP for us and she came out swinging today,” Hensley said. “She got a hold of that ball on the inside corner and went with it.”
In the fifth, Kaley Toney came up big with an RBI double that scored Byrd from second. Byrd was responsible for getting the innings’ first RBI as she knocked a single that scored Aaliyah Engle from second.
Volunteer fought nearly all the way back in the seventh, however, as Ford knocked a single to right with one out to start a rally with two outs.
Fisher — who took the loss in the circle in her final outing with nine strikeouts — hit a double off the top of the wall to score Ford. Suddenly, it looked like Volunteer was in business.
“There’s no quit in the girls and they fought until the very end,” longtime Volunteer coach Jackie Strickler said. “With two outs, they were still going after it.”
Fisher scored as Zetta Smith smacked a single with Smith reaching second thanks
to a Bryleigh Salyer single that kept the season going for the Lady Falcons.
On the next batter, though, Byrd was able to shut the door, enticing Jenna Thomas to fly out to center fielder Aaliyah Engle to end the game.
“I have a lot of faith in Aaliyah because she’s a great center fielder,” Byrd said. “I believed in her as it was flying out there.”
Volunteer’s seniors certainly left a legacy, including making the state tournament for the first time in 2023 and producing a district tournament title again this season.
“I told all of them afterwards that it was really tough to see this group of seniors go,” Strickler said. “This might be one of my favorite groups of all time and they left it all on the field. That’s all they can do and these seniors played their hearts out.”
| Unicoi County | 200 | 120 | 0 | -- | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| Volunteer | 100 | 100 | 2 | -- | 4 | 9 | 1 |
Unicoi County – Lela Byrd and Kianna Woodward. Volunteer – Addyson Fisher and Bryleigh Salyer. W – Lela Byrd, L – Addyson Fisher. 2B – Kaley Toney, Unicoi; Addyson Fisher, Volunteer. HR – Lela Byrd, Unicoi (one on in 1st); Peyton Higgins, Unicoi (solo in 4th). RBI – Lela Byrd, Unicoi 3; Peyton Higgins, Unicoi; Kaley Toney, Unicoi; Addyson Fisher, Volunteer; Zetta Smith, Volunteer. SB – Jayden Ford, Volunteer 2.
