On a warm Monday evening, the Lady Waves played host to district opponent Harriman. It was the last home game of the 2011 regular season for the Midway girls, though the Lady Waves will host the district tournament in a couple of weeks. This day was set aside to honor the two seniors on this year’s squad, Taylor Narramore and Paige Moree. A pregame ceremony included gifts from the team and a speech by co-head coach Craig Hutchinson. Also, there was the ritualistic signing of the equipment room wall by Taylor and Paige. Both girls are four year starters, and both have been at the core of their team for their entire careers. Their run has included two State Tournament appearances, two Region Championships and three District titles. Both have achieved All-District honors. And their senior year is far from over.
On Monday, both Taylor and Paige would have some nice moments in the game, with both contributing to a big 11-1 victory over the Lady Devils. Taylor knocked in four runs in the game, and Paige belted a big RBI triple to the center field fence in the bottom of the fifth inning. Both of these girls have meant a lot to the Lady Wave program for a long time, and they will be sorely missed when they graduate.
Midway jumped out early in this one. After three innings, the Lady Waves held a 9-0 lead. Harriman scored their only run of the game in the top of the fourth, with a solo home run. In the fifth frame, the Midway girls tacked on two more runs to bring the run rule into effect and end it early.
After the game and a round of photos, a delicious team cookout was well-attended by the girls, their family members and friends.
Top hitters for this game included Hayley Patterson (3-3, RBI), Danielle Borum (2-3, RBI), Hali Morris (2-3) and Christina Stansbury (2-3). The winning pitcher was Alex Richardson.
Midway co-head coach Barry Narramore is Taylor’s dad. When I asked Barry to say a few words about Taylor and Paige, he said, “I’ve coached these two great young ladies on and off for the past 12 years. There’s no way words could do justice to what these girls have meant to the Lady Waves softball program. But I will say that these two have been heavily involved in over 225 wins for different Midway softball teams over those years. That is amazing! Among those wins have been many heart-stopping last inning victories. Wins over the Nashville All-Stars in Crossville, the Sweetwater All-Stars in Athens, and the Knoxville Thunder in Knoxville just to name a few. These girls have competed against teams from all over the state and they’ve come out on top more times than not. Taylor and Paige have been on teams that have ruled the youth league for years”.
When asked about some memorable moments from their high school years, Barry responded, “Great defensive and offensive plays have been these girls’ forte throughout their high school careers. The first of two that stick out to me was in the Kingston game last year. We had fallen behind 6-0 in the first innning. We had battled back, but were still behind 8-6 late in the game. We had two runners on base, but we also had two outs. Taylor was up to bat, and she ripped the ball into left center field to tie the game. We ended up beating Kingston in extra innings that night, and you would have thought we had won the State Championship. In our minds, we had! The other was in the Region Championship against Coalfield last year. Coalfield had broken open a 5-3 lead late in the game. Many felt the game was over. But with two runners on, Paige Moree slap-hit a great shot up the middle to tie the game. Paige went on to score later in the inning, and the Lady Waves would bring home the Region title!”
Barry went on to offer one more story. He said, “Midway softball is highly respected in East Tennessee. Taylor Narramore and Paige Moree have done more than their fair share to advance that reputation. One of my favorite stories from this past off-season happened during winter workouts. We were getting ready to practice in the elementary school gym. I had arrived at the back door to the gym, and a young girl I didn’t know opened the door for me. This girl looked to be about a third grader. Not knowing me, she asked what I was doing. I told her that we were going to be practicing in the gym. She asked me, “What are you practicing?” I responded that we would be practicing high school softball. She looked at me and asked, “Lady Waves softball?”, to which I responded, “Yes”. Her face glowed when she exclaimed, “That’s my favorite team!”
Barry finished by saying, “That’s what these Lady Waves softball teams mean to the young girls of this community. Players like Paige and Taylor have built this program to where it is today! Taylor and Paige, it’s been a great trip. Thanks for allowing me and many others to ride along!”
Barry, I’ll second that.