SHAWN DIGIANFELICE

Sports Writer

Cascade fought until the final outs of its season, showing resilience and flashes of strong play throughout the District 9-AA Tournament. But defensive miscues and late-game momentum swings ultimately proved too much to overcome as the Lady Champions fell to Summertown and Forrest, bringing their season to a close with a 7-12 record.

Summertown – 12, Cascade – 2

Cascade jumped out to an early lead but couldn’t hold off a surge from Summertown, falling 12-2 in the opening round of the District 9-AA Tournament.

The Lady Champions set the tone early, scoring in the first inning and adding another run in the third to build a 2-0 advantage.

But Summertown answered in a big way, erupting for four runs in the third and three more in the fourth to seize momentum.

A five-run sixth inning put the game out of reach.

Cascade finished with five hits, led by Makayla Fisher and MoMo Bilbro, who each went 2-for-3 and scored a run. Bilbro also drove in a run, while Jocelyn Laughlin added an RBI. The Lady Champions struggled to sustain offense beyond the early innings.

In the circle, Laughlin worked four innings, allowing seven runs — four earned — while striking out four. Shalan Burt added 1.2 innings in relief as Summertown continued to add on late. Defensively, six errors proved costly for Cascade, extending innings and allowing Summertown to capitalize.

Forrest – 3, Cascade – 1

Forrest used late-inning pressure and capitalized on defensive miscues to slip past Cascade 3-1 Monday night, ending the Lady Champions’ postseason run in a tightly contested battle.

For much of the evening, the game belonged to the pitchers. Cascade’s Jocelyn Laughlin turned in a strong performance in the circle, allowing just two hits and one earned run over seven innings while striking out one and walking two.

The Lady Rockets managed limited offense but broke through late, scoring once in the sixth before adding two more runs in the seventh.

Cascade scratched across its lone run in the fifth inning to briefly take a 1-0 lead. Makayla Fisher scored the run, while Alayna Cruse delivered the team’s lone RBI hit. Cruse also added a hit and reached base in a pinch-hit appearance.

The Lady Champions finished with four hits on the night. Makayla Fisher collected a hit, MaKenzie Fisher added a hit and scored the lone run, Caroline Parker singled and stole a base, and Cruse contributed the RBI knock.

Despite the loss, Cascade stayed within striking distance throughout thanks to Laughlin’s effort in the circle and several strong defensive stretches. However, four errors proved costly as Forrest pushed across the go-ahead runs late.

Cascade closes the season with a 7-12 record after battling through the District 9-AA Tournament.