The Lady Rockets basically steamrolled the competition in the postseason this year and went in to Friday afternoon’s title game versus Lexington riding a 22-game winning streak and a 3-0 unbeaten mark versus the Lady Tigers, including Forrest’s final two wins in the 2019 championship campaign.

Forrest Hill played its worst game of the season, looking like the Keystone Cops at times, running in to each other and making mistakes they usually don’t, ones that will cost you a ballgame.

The untimely Forrest mistakes did cost them as Lexington erased a 3-1 Forrest sixth inning lead with one run in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the bottom of the seventh with the winning run scoring on a wild pitch to set up a one game showdown for the Class 2A title on Friday night.

Lexington also had something to do with the victory as they pounded 10 hits off Ashley Milligan and the Lady Tigers got a solid pitching performance from Cadey McDaniel, who continually kept the Lady Rockets off balance with a devastating changeup.

A first inning throwing error and a mistake in not covering the first base bag on another ground ball gave Lexington a run and from there, both hurlers managed to keep the other team from scoring until the top of the fifth inning when Forrest finally got on the board.

Abby Ferguson led off with a base hit to right field and was sacrificed to second by Briley Burnham.

Carli Warner, who has come up with some huge pinch hits during the season, stepped in and worked a 3-2 count before slashing a base hit to left field, tying the game at 1-1.

Milligan was buoyed by the run and struck out two out of the four Lexington batters she faced in the home half of the inning, holding the Lady Tigers at bay.

The Lady Rockets broke through in the top of the sixth inning as Laura Mealer and Milligan came up with RBI singles to give Forrest a 3-2 lead and put them six outs away from the title.

Lexington tightened it up in the home half of the stanza as a leadoff hit by Lauren Hall was followed by a pair of wild pitches and a sacrifice fly by Marley Maness to make it a 3-2 contest.

Forrest went down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh on three ground ball outs.

Shay Hollingsworth led off the bottom of the seventh with a base hit before a throwing error on a bunt attempt back to the circle put Lexington runners on the corners.

Kylie Waldrep banged the game tying single to left field before Milligan got the next two outs on a popup to second and a strikeout with Lady Tigers on second and third.

Maness came up again and on a 1-1 count, the next pitch went to the backstop and Hollingsworth came home with the winning run to keep Lexington’s season alive.

Forrest 000 012-3 8 2

Lexington 100 001 2-4 10 0

Forrest: Laura Mealer 2-for-3, Jenna Blanton 1-for-4, Ashely Milligan 1-for-3, Macyn Kirby 1-for-2, Katelyn Helmick 1-for-3, Abby Ferguson 1-for-2, Carli Warner 1-for-1.

BB: Ferguson.

RS: Blanton, Mealer, Ferguson.

2B: Mealer.

RBI: Mealer, Milligan, Warner.

SAC: Briley Burnham, Karley Daughrity, Kirby.

SB: Blanton, Kirby.

CS: Maggie Daughrity

Totals

Team LOB: 4

Fielding

E: Milligan 2.

LP: Ashley Milligan (6.2IP, 10H, 4R, 1ER, 6K, 2BB).

Lexington: Mykenzi Duke 2-for-4, Kylie Waldrep 2-for-4, Lauren Hall 2-for-4, Kennedy Brown 1-for-3, Shay Hollingsworth 1-for-4, Marley Maness 1-for-3, Jadyn Yarbro 1-for-2.

BB: Kennedy Brown, Waldrep.

RS: Duke 2, Hollingsworth, Hall.

2B: Waldrep.

RBI: Waldrep, Maness.

SAC: Cadey McDaniel, Yarbro, Kyrsten Brown.

ROE: Kennedy Brown, Hollingsworth.

FC: Hollingsworth.

SB: Brown.

Team LOB: 9

WP: Cadey McDaniel (7IP, 8H, 3R, 3ER, 2K, 1BB).