Still sisters carry Tattnall to clutch 1-0 victory over FPD in rivalry showdown

When Tattnall’s Anna Still connected on a mammoth swing in the top of the sixth inning against FPD on Thursday, gasps rose up from Vikings and Trojans fans alike in the crowded bleachers.

The ball jumped off her bat, hurtled through the air to deep left-center and landed right on top of the red plastic lining atop the outfield fence, then bounced out of the stadium for a solo home run.

Still’s swing was just big enough, it turned out, as the long ball was the only score for either team all night as Tattnall defeated the Vikings 1-0 in the rivalry matchup.

Still’s sister, Callie, twirled a gem on the mound to fuel the win along with Anna. She threw a perfect game for 4 and ⅔ innings before eventually finishing the complete game shutout, allowing only two hits and one walk on the night.

“Anna has just been doing that for us all year and then she connected when it mattered there,” Tattnall head coach Jordan Brooks said after the game. “And for her to do it after Callie had such an incredible game, too.

“She pitched really well and our defense just had a great game … They made a lot of plays. We had an amazing play by (Carsyn Atwater) in left field, just a lot of great stuff tonight. We grew a lot in this game.”

As well as Callie and Anna played, FPD pitcher Gracyn Fuller almost matched her single-handedly. Aside from the home run, Fuller kept the Trojans bats in check and scattered hits and walks across all seven innings to keep things close.

“Gracyn is great for us, she’s been playing this way all year for us and is a really important player, and she did it again tonight. This one hurts,” FPD head coach Shaun Bridger said. “We had our defense playing well and obviously the pitching was there, our bats are just a little slow right now. We can adjust from this game and have a lot to look at after this one.”

The game was a pitcher’s duel from the get-go, as Callie Still and Fuller both struck out several hitters. Tattnall got some runners in scoring position with some hits on soft contact and stolen bases, but the pieces for a scoring stretch never fell into place.

The talent in the circle for both teams ramped up the tension with the crowd, which filled up both sets of bleachers at FPD’s field and had plenty of folks sitting in camping chairs along the infield fence.

“It’s a crosstown rivalry, you know, I think we know that we don’t really like the red and black,” Brooks said with a smile. “It’s a big game and it’s really great to win in front of people that come out … it’s a regular season game but there’s a lot to gain.”

The Vikings also had chances to rally but could not convert. Their best shot came on their first hit all evening — a double laced to dead-center by Ava Spillers for a double in the fifth inning to break up the perfect game — but a groundout on the very next pitch ended the frame. 

The top of the sixth followed, and Anna Still took her crucial swing to take Fuller deep and put the Trojans up 1-0. The catcher screamed as she rounded first base and the Tattnall fans cheered, and her teammates mobbed her at home plate.

FPD got another key chance in the bottom of the sixth when Teagan Johnson sliced a ball down the right field line for what looked like extra bases, but she was gunned down trying to stretch the double into a triple.

Callie Still finished off her masterpiece in the bottom of the seventh, issuing a one-out walk but otherwise dispatching of the Vikings with ease to complete the victory. 

“There’s a lot we can improve on and a lot to learn, but this is a great win. We’ll see (FPD) one more time in the regular season but I get the feeling we’ll see them later on, too,” Brooks said. “They’re a really great team, and Fuller had us off balance all night.”

Bridger, too, suspected the teams may meet again in the postseason.

“This is a regular season game where you learn a lot about your team. It’s a tough loss, but we have a lot of games left and we want to see what we can do down the road in that state tournament,” he said. “They have a great team and we’ll be ready to see them again.”