CARY - Hannah Reynolds’ leadoff triple in the top of the eighth inning Tuesday evening put the potential go-ahead run just 90 feet away from home. Tanya Van Dyk took advantage of the perfect set-up and delivered a deep fly ball to left field that scored Reynolds for what turned out to be the winning run as Athens Drive downed Middle Creek 6-5 on the road.

“Our team handled adversity well,” Jaguars coach Breanna Harrill said. “We didn’t let a bad play or a bad decision hurt us. We supported each other and continued to fight through it.”

Dyk’s sacrifice fly eventually won the game, but it wouldn’t have been possible if not for Athens’ pitcher Callen Farringer’s clutch seventh inning.

With the game tied at 5, the Mustangs’ Camille Hobson and Jackie Schavone led off the bottom of the inning with back-to-back singles, which put runners on first and second with nobody out. Firmly in a jam, Farringer buckled down and got the next two batters to ground right back to her for force outs at third.

“They were in a perfect situation,” Harrill said. “But Callen didn’t let it get her down. She took care of business by herself two times in a row.”

With two outs and the scoring threat essentially neutralized, Farringer calmly struck out London Dixon looking to end the inning and force the extra frame.

“I definitely had to focus in that situation,” Farringer said. “I concentrated on just me and the glove. I made sure I pitched those batters the way I wanted them to be pitched.”

Neither team led by more than two runs at any time during the ballgame. After three and a half innings the Jags had pushed their lead to 4-2, but Middle Creek methodically outscored Athens over the next three and a half innings 3-1 to tie the score.

Van Dyk finished with two RBI and a couple of hits on the game. The Jags’ Morgan Francis was also big at the plate, driving in two runs of her own. For the Mustangs, Emily Franks posted a hit and two RBI while Allison Geiner finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored.