‘Don’t ever count them out’: Blue Ridge softball making comeback wins a trademark
Blue Ridge softball came back from 9-3 down and 11-6 down to win games against Travelers Rest and Daniel last week. (PHOTO | TED CONWELL)
Count them out at your own risk. Just don’t say they didn’t warn you.
Two times in three days, Blue Ridge softball has looked dead in the water and doomed for a loss. Two times in three days, it’s dug in and found a way to win.
Against Travelers Rest on April 1, the Lady Tigers trailed 9-3 heading into the top of the sixth inning. Blue Ridge rallied for an absurd 13 runs in the top half of that frame, flying to a 16-9 crucial region win. Freshman Gracie Tompkins mashed three home runs in the tilt.
On April 4, Blue Ridge again found itself in a hole, trailing Daniel 11-6 with just three outs left to survive.
The Lady Tigers put up six runs in the bottom of the 7th — not allowing Daniel to record a single out — en route to a 12-11 victory.
“When this team is down, they never let themselves feel out of it,” said Blue Ridge head coach Donna Odom. “If you pay to come watch this team, you can’t walk out of here until it’s over. These girls are never out of it, down eight or nine runs or more. They never give up.”
Daniel maintained control for most of Friday night’s contest against the Lady Tigers. Blue Ridge trailed the entire game until the final inning. After allowing two more runs to the Lady Lions in the top of the 7th to go down 11-6, Odom challenged her girls to find faith.
They’d been here before.
“Last week, Seneca scored 12 runs in one inning against us. It was a disaster,” said Odom. “But in that next game [against Travelers Rest] I told the girls that if another team could score 12 in an inning on us, why couldn’t we do the same? That’s when we went out and scored 13 in one inning against TR to win.
“This was just another moment where they needed to dig deep.”
Gracie Tompkins got the inning started with a double to left field. A single from Bella Ballenger — who’d pitched the majority of Friday night’s game — brought home Tompkins with a single to center. 11-7.
Chloe Manley took a pitch to the helmet to put runners on first and second. Kilee Grant brought both runners home on a double she smacked to centerfield. 11-9. Still no outs. Tying run at the plate.
Hannah Durham wore the very next pitch on her sleeve. She took her free base. Runners on first and second again.
Blue Ridge senior Hannah Durham celebrates after hitting a double against Daniel on April 4, 2025. (PHOTO | TED CONWELL)
Jordyn Norris laid down a perfect bunt to advance to first after a Daniel error. Bases loaded. No outs. By that point, the Blue Ridge faithful — not one of them having left despite Daniel’s sizable lead heading into the final inning — was rowdy and loud.
Back-to-back singles from Bella Sands and Lily Mulkey brought one run home each to knot the score at 11.
With the bases loaded and no outs, and Blue Ridge needing just one run to win, up to the plate, eighth-grader Bella Bosken stepped to the plate.
Bosken can’t lie. Her nerves were intense. This was, by far, the most intense moment in her very young softball career.
She looked down at her wrist. When she did, all of her fear was immediately calmed.
“I looked down at the wrist coach on my arm before I went up to bat,” said Bosken. “I have written on there ‘through Christ who strengthens me.’ I felt God in the moment and knew He was there with me. I knew it was going to work out.”
“Before the season, I told the girls I wanted them to make a card to put on their wrist coach with all of their favorite quotes and things to motivate them,” said Odom. “That way, when they get into an intense situation, they can relax before they step into the box. I think that makes a big difference for these girls.”
Bosken says the Lady Tigers’ ability to pull wins from longshot situations stems from their belief as a unit.
“Even when we are down by a lot, we don’t ever really get down on ourselves,” said Bosken. “Like tonight, Bella Sands was hyping everyone up in the dugout before the inning started, and it got us all going. It started rolling from there.”
“I’m just so proud,” said Odom. “This team fights until the very end. Don’t ever count them out. They don’t care what the score is. They’ll keep going until they get that win.”
The Blue Ridge Lady Tigers are winners of five straight games and are 10-5 on the season (4-2 in 4-A Region 2 play). Catch them in action next on Friday, April 11 in a home region game vs. Pickens.