Klaire Womack overcomes adversity to return to finals

By COSMO COSSEY

Sports Connection Team

Klaire Womack and Riverside Lady Rebels matched up again with Mansfield this past Saturday for the Class 2A state softball title. After a 1-0 win last year for their first state title, Mansfield scored three runs in extra innings to win 4-2 this year.

“I’m so proud of us for making it back here. We have faced so much adversity this year. There has been a lot of pressure on us to just live up to the expectations we set and it’s been tough. I’ve also had an elbow injury all season which is no pitcher wants to deal with. Getting back to the finals I think just proves how much we can accomplish if we stay together.

After starting the season 18-0, the Lady Rebels lost their first game to GCT. Womack talked about that game. “The GCT game was a hard one to accept. I wasn’t at my best against a great hitting team and that’s what happens. We wanted to win that game really bad to prove that we could compete with anyone and that’s just not the way it went. I think after that game we realized we don’t need to try to prove ourselves. It also made us realize we have to stay together through everything,” Womack added.

Missing most of the season as a freshman due to a injury at the end of basketball season, Womack said when she returned the team saw how good they could be. “The injury at the beginning of my freshman year definitely set me back a little. I didn’t pitch very much but I believe everything happens for a reason. Towards the end of the year once we all started playing good together, it made us realize how good we could be and it set the tone for the next year” Womack said.

Having to play Mansfield again in the finals, Womack said the game will be a little harder in her opinion. “Playing the same team back to back in the finals can be a little intimidating. I know the strike zone won’t be as big this year so it’ll come more down to hitting. We know what to expect with them and they know what to expect from us so we just have to play our game and believe in each other,” Womack said of the rematch.

Womack talked about the bond this team has together. “The bond between all of us is just something I don’t think any of us will experience again. Getting to grow up with them and watching us all become who we are today makes what we do so much more than just a game. I’m just so thankful I get to be on the field with people who work so hard for everything and want to win just as bad as I do,” Womack said.

Going in the finals, Womack was 24-1 on the season with a .76 ERA and .99 WHIP in 129 innings of work. She also had 259 strikeouts on the season. At the plate, Womack was hitting .426 with three home runs and 20 RBIs. “Klaire is such a competitor on the field and great kid off. She’s a pleasure to coach,” Riverside head coach T.J. Eakins said.