Area softball tourneys: Alexandria's Gattis earns steak with perfect game, adds shutout
May 6—ALEXANDRIA — Rylee Gattis heard of Alexandria's tradition of Hess-cooked meals for home runs, and the star pitcher wondered aloud what a perfect game would get her. She even had a suggestion.
After her day in the circle Wednesday, Alexandria coach Brian Hess plans to make good on his steak promise.
"She will get steak," Hess said. "She might get that porterhouse now, or the tomahawk."
Gattis fired a perfect game in Alexandria's 6-0 victory over Lincoln in Wednesday's Class 5A, Area 11 opener then tossed a three-hit shutout in a 3-0 besting of Moody in the winners-bracket final.'
The victory over Moody clinched Alexandria (29-10) a spot in next week's East Central Regional at Montgomery's Lagoon Park. The Valley Cubs awaits the elimination-bracket survivor and can clinch the area's top qualifying spot in today's final round.
Alexandria will play either Area 13 winner Sardis or runner-up Douglas on Wednesday at noon Montgomery.
Gattis, most valuable player of April's Calhoun County tournament, came into Wednesday's action on 12 days of rest. Hess scheduled no games for a span of days, and this week's inclement weather pushed the area tournament forward two days.
A rested Gattis struck out 10 of the minimum 21 batters she faced against Lincoln. Factor in the Moody game, and she was perfect for the first 24 batters she faced on the day.
An error gave Moody a base runner to lead off the second inning, and the Blue Devils got the first two hits of the day against Gattis in the third. She worked out of the third-inning jam then again in the sixth, striking out the final two batters after Moody got runners on the corners.
She struck the Blue Devils out in order in the top of the seventh to end the game.
Gattis finished with 19 strikeouts and no walks in 14 innings of work over two games. She allowed just four base runners.
"This is one of my better days," Gattis said. "I think him (Hess) planning the several-day break helped me out a lot. I've been doing a lot in preparation for this."
Gattis had to fight off a potential jinx when an umpire started talking about her perfect game in progress, during the seventh inning of the Lincoln game.
"He said, 'You have something good going here, something impressive,'" she said. "I was like, 'Don't ruin the juju.'"
As for the steak dinner to come, Gattis said she has no preference on restaurant.
"As long as there's a cow on my plate, I don't care," she said.
Run support didn't come in heaping helpings Wednesday, but Gattis got all she needed. Quendeja Bowie and Addie Jennings each homered and drove in two runs against Lincoln, and Ashley Phillips' two-run double was the big hit in Alexandria's three-run second inning against Moody.
"That 12 days off didn't help us offensively, but I think it was good for Rylee," Hess said. "That's probably the best two games she's thrown, as far as being fresh and the ball moving like it is, in about a month.
"We had to ride her a lot in the months of March and April. We had to ride her a bunch a depend on her. I think she needed those days off, and it showed today."
Sports Writer Joe Medley: 256-235-3576. On Twitter: @jmedley_star.
