Carrollton falls to Lebanon in semifinals

One mistake in the first inning cost the Carrollton Lady Hawks a chance to play for a sectional title.

Lebanon’s Paige Washington hit a two-out, two-run home run in the first inning, then shut the Lady Hawks out the rest of the way from her spot on the mound as the Lebanon Greyhounds beat Carrollton 2-0.

“The pitch was up above her shoulders and she chopped at it and it went,” Carrollton coach Candy Wagner said of Washington’s first-inning home run. “She had to chase a pitch up to get it out and she did it. Most normal hitters wouldn’t have hit it.”

Erika Carter (10-9) made just the one mistake in the first inning. She allowed nine hits, one walk and one hit batter. She fanned four.

Carrollton’s offense struggled. The Lady Hawks mustered just two hits, both of which came from Cathy Smith.

“We gave (Washington) too many opportunities,” Wagner said. “We watched too many strikes go by. We should have jumped on her earlier.”

Carrollton completed its season at 13-13. Lebanon improved to 25-8.

“I think we were a better team than 13-13,” Wagner said. “I think we put ourselves in a lot of situations where we got a lead and we couldn’t hang on to it. I think legitimately, we were beat six times, maybe seven times. I can think of four or five games where we got beat after we had a lead after five innings.

“I don’t think that record speaks to what we could have been or should have been.”