C. Sparks caps 9-run rally with walk-off grand slam, leads NM past Manchester in Walters’ coaching debut

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Chloe Sparks

Chloe Sparks hit a walk-off grand slam to cap a nine-run seventh in coach Amanda Walters’ first game as the host North Miami softball team beat Manchester 17-13 Wednesday.

It marked the return of Sparks and Walters to the sport.

Sparks missed all of last season after she had surgery to remove a rib.

Walters (nee Nelson) was the ace pitcher on North Miami’s first ever sectional championship team in 2011.

“That was a special moment for Chloe and everybody else involved,” Walters said. “That felt so good. We stayed up the whole time though. We never got down.”

She was hired to replace Rob Cooley as coach after Cooley stepped down late in the winter. Cooley was Walters’ coach at North Miami.

Asked about Cooley, Walters turned emotional in talking about her mentor. Her assistants include Billy Wood and his daughter Sammi Carey, both formidable figures in turning North Miami into a school with a softball tradition.

“It feels like I’m home,” Walters said. “I’m home here. It feels very natural. Coach Cooley taught me … it means a lot to me, and to have Billy and Sammi here too, there’s nothing better. We’re all back together again. And Rob, I talked to him, and we spoke, and nothing but great things both ways.”

North Miami led 5-0 after three innings, but Manchester came back to lead 13-8 with help from two hits and three RBIs from Izzy Renz.

Meanwhile, all nine North Miami starters had at least one hit. The Lady Warriors also drew nine walks and were hit by two pitches.

Chloe Sparks both started and ended the bottom of the seventh. She started it with a walk off Manchester freshman hurler Elin Betten.

The inning included RBI singles from Layla Hampton and Porscha Pickett. A two-run double to deep right-center from Freedom McHenry made it 13-12.

Manchester elected to walk Chloe Sparks’ twin sister Zoey to load the bases.

That brought up Addison Tinney. Tinney got ahead in the count 3-0. Tinney took strike one. Then she took strike two. Then she took a pitch just high for a game-tying RBI walk.

Manchester moved the infield and the outfield in with one out.

Any remotely deep fly ball would have ended the game, but Chloe Sparks did one better, lofting a deep fly ball to left on the first pitch that landed over the fence and created a mob scene at the plate.

“It feels awesome,” Sparks said. “I couldn’t play last year. I had to get surgery, so coming back from that was just amazing. It’s such a great feeling.”

Sparks was asked to describe Walters’ personality.

“Awesome,” Sparks said. “She’s so friendly. She’s so easy to get along with. I was a little nervous at the beginning of the year, but we all just get along with her really well.”

Walters called softball “her first love.”

“And I want to give that love to my girls,” Walters said. “I just want to pour into them the love that I have for the game. I want them to have it too. … This program does mean a lot to me, and it’s been really fun being back out here in a different light.”

North Miami 17, Manchester 13

Manchester 000 373 0 – 13 11 3

North Miami 032 120 9 – 17 13 0

WP – Porscha Pickett (6 ⅔ IP, 8 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 3 BB, 3 HBP, 7 K)

LP – Elin Betten (6 ⅓ IP, 13 H, 17 R, 15 ER, 9 BB, 2 HBP, 2 K)

2B – Hadley West (MAN), Izzy Renz (MAN), McKayla Dillon (MAN), Layla Hampton 2 (NM), Freedom McHenry (NM), Khloe Hovermale (NM), Zoey Sparks (NM)

HR – Chloe Sparks (NM)