SOFTBALL: Brighton ends RHS' run for championship on Brentwood Home Page

Ravenwood’s most successful softball season came to an end today when the Lady Raptors lost to Brighton 4-2 in the Class AAA state tournament losers’ bracket in Murfreesboro.

"It was just a really, really, really good season," said starting pitcher Kayla Green, one of four seniors on the team. "We did some things our school’s never done – we won our sectional, we’ve never won a back-to-back district and then region.

"We made it to the state tournament, and I know us four seniors that was one of our main goals was making it to the tournament. All four years we’ve made it to the section game, and we had never made it past that."

RHS (33-18) jumped out to a 2-0 lead after Kaytlin Queen reached on an error and Hannah Trainer singled to open the g ame.

Senior Laura Prosise drove in the Raptors' two runs in the first.

RHS tries to get fired up before taking the field on defense.

Lakin Singleton leads a strong junior class that return next season.

Senior shortstop Laura Prosise dropped in a two-out, bases-loaded single to left center to drive in two runs.

But Brighton (33-11) scored three runs in the bottom of the first and added an insurance run in the third.

"Our No. 1 goal was always to win state. At least we got to get to state," said Prosise, choking back tears. "We’re all best friends."

Ravenwood, in its first state tournament, will also lose center fielder Heather Shuler and catcher Abbi Aydelott. Green will pitch for Lindsey Wilson, and Shuler will continue her career at Trevecca.

This was the first senior class Coach Kari Akin has taken through the program – she’s in her fourth season with the Raptors, third as head coach.

"This team is just a special, special bunch to me," said Akin, who caught for Hendersonville High and played at Ohio State.

"If we stay focused, we’ve got talent, and if the kids work hard enough, the kids have got a shot at it every year. So we’ve got to just keep working hard and fill those spots as best we can."

Brighton took the lead for good on a pair of two-out singles, followed by an RBI double by Kelsey Tramel, an RBI hit by Laura Judy, and Trammel's score on an error. Aydelott threw Judy out at second on the play, with the tag by Prosise, to end the inning.

Ravenwood sophomore Ashley Beyke, losing pitcher in Monday’s 9-1 opening game against Jefferson County, came on in relief and retired the final six straight batters, including a diving catch by right fielder Queen. But the Raptors stranded eight baserunners over the last six innings.

"You can never always count on one or two runs. You have to get a big lead and play defense as hard as you can, and we just didn’t do that," Prosise said. "I think we played as hard as we could, and I think they can make it to state next year."

Akin told her team after the loss how proud she waas of what they had accomplished: “Getting here is a hard job. We’re one of the top eight in Class AAA in the state.”

Assistant coach Donna Smith reminded the Lady Raptors: "We've done something this school had never done. Every school year you go (to state) it gets easier and easier."

Left fielder Lakin Singleton, first baseman Amanda Fein, second baseman Hannah Trainer and third baseman Erica Graddy are juniors. Queen and Beyke are sophomores, as is Sarah Zarcone who saw action as a designated runner.

"I think today we couldn’t get any luck," Akin said. "(Tuesday) we lost focus and kind of beat ourselves. Today we played well – we just couldn’t get the hits we needed at the right time. We just couldn’t get it rolling, just couldn’t get any luck our way."

"We didn’t win, but we still played good," Green said. "We fought – things just didn’t go our way, and they’ll get ’em next year."

The 2010 Lady Raptors leave the field after Ravenwood's first year in the state softball tournament.

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