Tuscola softball comes from behind twice late in conference win

Mar. 27—Tuscola softball bounced back in a big way Tuesday night, overcoming a 6-run deficit in one inning on its way to a 9-8 comeback win over West Henderson.

"They don't quit," said Tuscola Coach Bronson Cook. "They hang in. It's been kind of the theme this year — just hang around. Then it's like they've had enough, it's time to get down to business."

Going into the bottom of the fifth, the Falcons had the Mountaineers on the ropes. Tuscola had managed to get a couple of runners on in previous innings, but both times those rallies started with two outs and ended with runners stuck on first and second.

But the Mountaineers never hung their heads. Tuscola's team continued to fight, looking for an opening to attack.

"The kids have to stay positive. We have to be a positive example," Cook said. "As a coaching staff, we know that they've got it in them. It's just kids playing sports. You just have to fight through the low times and celebrate the high times."

Fifth-inning comeback

Things took a swing in that fifth inning. Down 6-0, Tuscola had found its moment to strike. Some hard-hit balls found the West Henderson shortstop a handful of times early in that inning, creating tough fielding situations for her.

The Mountaineers kept their foot on the gas, as the first five batters who stepped to the plate that inning got on base.

"You've just got to keep chugging along, keep putting pressure on the defense," Cook said. "The line drives, and that's what we work for, will find a hole. You've just gotta keep swinging. If you hit it good, they make a play, tip your hat, and say, 'I'll get you the next time.' You can't quit. You can't really change a lot. Just stay head down, nose on the ball and just swing hard in case you hit it."

By the time the inning wrapped up, Tuscola had tied the score at six runs apiece.

Senior pitcher locks in

In the top of the sixth, West Henderson struck back, putting two more runs on the board.

But it could have been a whole lot worse. The Falcons had the bases loaded with just one out before a pair of singles pushed those runs in. With the bases still loaded, senior Madisyn Brooks did what she'd done all game — play her best ball in pressure-packed situations.

Brooks struck out the next two batters to escape the inning with minimal damage. West Henderson ended up stranding a total of 12 runners on base, including a couple more in the seventh.

Whenever runners got on base, Brooks seemed to pitch even better.

"You can't explain it," Cook said. "She's pitched her whole life. She's been in multiple situations. She knows she can handle it. We know she can, and having good defense behind her just lets her play, and she comes through. That's just the nature of the game. It's the ups and the downs. You've just got to be able to control yourself during the downs and capitalize when you're up."

In addition to her timely pitching throughout the night, Brooks was also a threat at the plate — going two-for-four with two RBI.

First lead of the night

In the bottom half of the sixth, Tuscola answered in a big way, claiming its first lead of the night.

The Mountaineers scored three runs, just enough to take the lead, with base-to-base, small-ball hitting.

When Brooks stepped into the circle in the seventh inning, things didn't get much easier. With one out, the senior faced a situation with runners on the corners. With the tying run just 60 feet away from the plate, a ground ball was hit right back at Brooks.

The senior turned and threw the ball to her catcher, senior Kinzie Messer, who applied the tag to get the out.

The next at-bat ended with another ground ball back to Brooks, which she threw to first to end the game.

Cook called it a fitting end to the game with the senior pitching claiming the final two outs.

Getting hot again

At the plate, Tuscola got started a little slow, but was a force late in the game.

Brooks and senior Sydney Snowden each had multi-hit games.

"Sydney's been hot for a while. She's been the hot last five, six ball games," Cook said.

Six of nine batters recorded a base hit, while three players hit doubles.

"Our lineup's solid from top to bottom," Cook said. "There are people who have different attributes, and that's how you set your lineup up for different situations. Different people can do different things. Everybody's not expected to hit a hard line drive off the fence, but make contact, move around, and be able to control the bat, lay a bunt down."

The win came 24 hours after a tough loss to Franklin. Tuscola opened the 2026 season with an 11-6 win at Franklin, but on Monday, the Panthers came to Waynesville and returned the favor and then some, racking up a 20-2 run. Messer hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth of that game to avoid a shutout.

But the win Tuesday, which moved Tuscola to 7-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play, helped bring back the confidence of the Mountaineers.

"We know they can," Cook said. "They know they can, and a lot of times they put a lot of pressure on themselves. There's a lot of pressure as a kid these days, just from the outside world. This is supposed to be a release to come and have fun and enjoy and play a game. It gives them a chance to breathe and relax a little bit and enjoy the game and know that they can play with anybody. Hopefully, we just build on it and keep going."