It was a late night in east Tallahassee Thursday.
With No. 2 Middleburg in town for the 5A regional championship, No. 1 Lincoln softball played 13 innings for a spot in the state semifinals.
A 7 p.m. first pitch game concluded three and a half hours later.
But the Trojans’ trip to Clermont would get spurned by Middleburg as they faltered 2-1.
“We knew it was going to be a fight and that was a dogfight of a game,” Lincoln head coach Terese Waltman said. “Unfortunately, in those games somebody’s got to win and somebody’s got to lose.”
This was the second consecutive season that Lincoln fell in the regional finals, losing to Winter Springs a season ago.
Lincoln trailed 1-0 after four innings. An Alli Ryan groundball to midfield allowed Gwendolen McGinnis to score their lone run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth.
“We got down early and we managed to come back and get a tying run,” Waltman said. “We just fought back and forth.”
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Crowd Pleasers
You’d think that the audience would grow restless in a game that lasted just shy of three hours. But not on Thursday.
Both Lincoln and Middleburg filled the bleachers in hopes of watching their team advance to the 5A State Semifinals.
Of the crowd, was the Lincoln baseball team.
“The crowd really helped us out,” Waltman said. “We had a bunch of the baseball guys back there supporting and being loud.”
Being a No. 1 seed, the Trojans had many opportunities this postseason to play in front of their home fans.
“It’s a good feeling when you have the support of your hometown crowd,” Waltman said. “I think they kept us in some innings.
“It felt good to be at home, we just wish we could’ve pulled out the win here.”
A Bright Future
Falling just short of that trip to Clermont, the Trojans have an opportunity to run it back.
Only graduating three seniors following the season, they’re projected to return with 10 of their current players. But of the three seniors is McGinnis, who’s headed to pitch at the University of Tampa next spring.
Nine of Lincoln’s roster of 13 were underclassmen; five sophomores, four freshmen.
Catcher Olivia McCroan was the sole junior on the team this season. McCroan’s two runs in the regional semis served as the difference that lifted Lincoln over Gulf Breeze on May 17.
“It’s huge for us,” Waltman said. “We told the kids to use the feeling tonight to let it drive you so we can come out and be on the other end of things next year.
“We got a huge hope for the future and a strong program is going to come back next year and do it all again.”
The Trojans began their season 6-6 before going 11-3 during the latter half of the season.
“We started off on the weaker end and we knew we were going to have to put in some work,” Waltman said. “The kids did a phenomenal job.”
“We had people that doubted us and we were the last team standing around here. Being top eight in the state – you can’t ask for more. We were right there and almost made it to state with the young program that we have. We’re going to keep working towards that next year. I couldn’t be more proud of all our kids.”
Gerald Thomas III covers FAMU athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.