Corner will miss Allred in the big games
The Game Plan by Charles Prince
The North Jefferson News
The formula for winning high school softball is simple. Get a dominant pitcher and you’ve got a shot at making it to state. Without dominant pitching, you likely won’t see Lagoon Park.
The fans of Corner softball show how true that is first hand, as they watched Elizabeth Allred led the Lady Yellow Jackets to Montgomery three straight seasons with her outstanding pitching.
A list of the state powers she beat during her career is nothing short of impressive.
Allred notched wins over Gardendale, Gulf Shores (the year they won the Class 5A state title), Baker, Hoover, Vestavia Hills and Mortimer Jordan (also in the same season the Lady Devils won the 5A state title).
You don’t beat top flight teams like that by accident. It takes quite a talented pitcher to turn the trick.
Anyone who saw her throw over the past few years knows Allred is one of those special pitchers who can carry a club all the way to state.
Just look at what happened to Corner, when Allred didn’t take to the pitching circle against the top teams.
Corner lost to Gardendale when Allred didn’t start. They were crushed by Mortimer Jordan (13-2).
As further evidence of her quality work, just look at what happened to the Lady Jackets at this year’s state tourney.
Corner led Ashford 8-0 in the fifth inning, when Corner coach Aaron James decided to insert another pitcher to start the bottom of the inning.
One out later, Allred was sent back in the game, after Ashford had scored five runs and got back into the game.
As soon as Allred re-entered the contest, the Ashford bats were shut down and the Lady Jackets were heading home with their first win at state in more than four years.
Allred won more than 70 games in her career, including the final three games she started in the second round of the sub-state playoffs, the round that qualifies a team for Montgomery and the state tourney.
She was a money pitcher. A big game specialist, if you will. I doubt Corner will see her like again for a while.
She set the bar for all Lady Jacket pitchers to follow her.
Next year, Corner will feature a junior and a senior as their top two pitchers, but neither one has a chance to match Allred career win total of 74. It’s likely they won’t be able to match her cool under pressure, her grit when she needed a big out and the confidence she brought to the whole team each time she took the ball into the pitching circle.
Corner will definitely miss Elizabeth Allred, maybe not in the regular season, but when the postseason rolls around.