Bartow’s quest for an 8th state title in school history wasn’t an easy one. But with one swing of the bat Kensie Green made it look easy.
The Yellow Jackets battled with Countryside all game long to claim the Class 8A State Championship winning 5-2 in 11 innings.
Green came to the plate in the bottom of the 11th of a game all tied at 2. With two outs and runners on first and second Green unloaded on a pitch to send it over the left field fence for the walk-off jack.
“It’s so indescribable, it’s ridiculous, I can’t put it all into one word,” said Green. “Before that last pitch was thrown, I was like, I’m due, I got this, I said my prayer, A to B, and we’re fine. And then as soon as I hit it I was like, I did not just hit that ball over. I was like, ball gone!”
Bartow got on the board first in the bottom of the first courtesy of an illegal pitch by the Cougars Stella Preston that brought home Alex Mace who was on base after an inning opening double.
Lexi Sims drove in another run for Bartow in the bottom of the 3rd with a double to deep center that hit the fence bringing in Destiny Breeden from third.
Countryside would get something going in the top of the 5th on an Emily Hollenbeck double that scored Alice Gannaway.
Trailing by one entering the top of the 6th the Cougars would tie the game up on a controversial call. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and two outs Gannaway hit a hard grounder to third that Kensie Green initially bobbled, forcing her to tag out the runner at third. The umpires ruled that Jordan Lewis crossed home plate before the tag was applied, allowing the run to count. Replay later showed Lewis did not score in time.
“Wow, but we’re not going to give up,” said Bartow head coach Donna Byars. “They work all their lives for a moment like this, and we worked all year long for a moment like this, and we weren’t going to let an umpire or anything else stand in our way. We were just going to fight through it, stay positive and do what we were brought here to do.”