By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

She wasn’t going to spend senior night in the dugout.

Callaway High softball player Kourtney Grier suffered a knee injury during a game last week, and when she had it examined the following day the diagnosis was a torn ACL.

That’s generally an injury that spells the end of an athlete’s season, but Grier asked her doctor if there’s any way she could play.

“I asked them if I could finish the season, and he told me he wanted me to try,” Grier said.

Grier said the medical advice was “don’t make any ESPN plays. Nothing like that, so I tried to take it easy.”

So on Tuesday evening, Grier was in the lineup and playing first base as Callaway took on Temple in a critical Region 5-AA game.

Callaway held on for an 8-6 victory to improve to 3-5 in the region and sew up one of the four spots in the region tournament.

By making it to the region tournament, Callaway also secured a spot in the 32-team state playoffs.

After the game, the team’s seniors were recognized,

Grier, third baseman Alexus Furgerson and center fielder Leijorey Sanders were all honored after helping Callaway secure the important win.

Robyn McCann, Callaway’s head coach, has known each of the seniors since they were young children.

“It’s kind of special, because I’ve had them since they were little and I’ve watched them grow up,” McCann said.

Callaway was trailing by a run when it pushed four runs across in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead, and pitcher Faith Horton worked around a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning to finish it.

Grier had two hits in four at-bats to help lead Callaway.

“For me to come out and play, it means a lot,” Grier said.

The two other seniors contributed as well.

Sanders, the leadoff hitter, had a hit and was on base twice, and Furgerson had a hit, a walk, and an RBI.

During the critical sixth inning, Sanders got things started with an error, and Chaple Butler eached on an error.

Two batters later, Lindsay Cofield came through with a two-run double to give Callaway the lead.

Alora Vetsavong followed with an RBI single, and another run scored when Furgerson reached on an error.

Temple got a solo home run in the top of the seventh, but Horton got the next two outs to end the suspense.

Vetsavong had a big day for Callaway with the RBI hit in the sixth inning, as well as a run-scoring triple during a three-run second inning.

Horton, in addition to getting the complete-game victory, had three hits with an RBI single in the second inning, and Cofield had two hits and two RBIs.

Mya Lawton and McKenzie Rhodes each had a hit, and leadoff hitter Chaple Butler walked and reached on an error.

Callaway visits Bremen on Thursday before finishing its region schedule on Sept. 24 against Jordan.

The region tournament begins Sept. 30.