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The Tigers are playoff bound! The Troup softball team beat Spalding 5-4 on Monday night to officially book their spot in the 2024 3A state playoffs.

“It has been an up-and-down season for us, but it feels so good to make it (to the playoffs),” sophomore Olivia Damron said.

The Tigers were made to work much harder than their 12-0 road win over the Jaguars earlier in the season. This game went down to the wire and into extra innings. With two on and one out and the game tied at four in the bottom of the eighth inning, Damron stepped up to bat and delivered the biggest hit of her young career.

“It feels amazing, this is the first walk-off I’ve hit in my entire career, Damron said after the game, fighting back tears. “It is hard to put into words how much this means to me.”

The sophomore has seen an expanded role this season and has evolved into an every day starter for Troup. Damron is just getting started too.

“I knew that I had to step up this year,” Damron said. “I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately so it feels like a relief to get that hit.”

Troup got on the board quickly Monday night, scoring two runs in the top of the first. Kaitlyn Smalley hit a one-run single to break the deadlock. Smalley scored later in the inning on an error to put the Tigers up 2-0.

The Troup bats would go quiet over the next few innings and the Jaguars were able to cut the Troup lead in half with a run in the top of the fourth inning.

The Tiger bats would eventually wake up in the fifth inning. Zoe Graham’s RBI single restored the two-run advantage for Troup. A Gracie Baker sacrifice fly pushed the home team’s lead out to 4-1. 

Sheniyah Philpot hit a two-run homer in the fifth, but it was taken off the board based on a base runner touching a teammate before home plate. 

This would prove to be very costly with the Jaguars scoring three runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game at four which is where the game stayed until Damron’s walk-off.

Kennedy McCoy got the start in the circle and dominated in her five innings of work, striking out six batters while allowing just four hits and one earned run. Smalley came in to relieve McCoy and pitched the final three innings.

Philpot led the offense with three hits while Smalley and Graham had two apiece. Baker, Camdyn Bassett, Maddie Colson, Cayleigh Godrey and Kaylee Cardwell all had a hit each.

Troup improved to 12-11 overall and 10-5 in region play. The Tigers will finish fourth in the region and will be on the road in the state playoffs. Troup will play its final region game and subsequently the final game of the regular season on Tuesday at home against LaGrange at 11 a.m.