INDIAN LAND -- Actor Tom Hanks has had many memorable lines through the years. Who'll ever forget, "Life is like a box of chocolates,'' from "Forrest Gump?''
But there's another that is repeated just as often, the one where he turns to one of his female baseball players in "A League of Their Own'' and asks, "Are you crying? There's no crying in baseball.''
There's plenty of it in high school softball, and tears flowed for nearly 30 minutes in left field at Indian Land on Wednesday. For some unexplained reason, their bats went silent for the second straight game and McBee turned out the lights on the Lady Warriors' season with a 3-2 victory.
The loss denied the Warriors at a shot at their 10th Class A state championship in the last 13 years.
"This hurts more than last year when we lost in the Upper State championship to Landrum,'' Indian Land coach Monica Barfield said. "We were starting to jell as a team. We had senior leadership. We felt we could win the state championship this year; felt we had what was needed to do it.''
McBee (24-8) has that feeling, but must go to Chesterfield on Friday and win twice for a spot in the best-of-three state championship series next week against the Lower State champion.
McBee freshman pitcher Callie Wayne played a big part in quieting Indian Land's bats, but she didn't appear at her best when the Lady Warriors (18-11) came to bat in the bottom of the first.
Indian Land leadoff hitter Jacquelyn Delaune was hit by a pitch on the foot and was awarded first base. She moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout to third.
Another wild pitch from Wayne bounced off the backstop and Delaune slid under her tag at the plate for a 1-0 Lady Warriors' lead.
Kimber Coley, who walked, stole second and went to third on the errant pitch that scored Delaune. Kristen Campbell reached on an infield hit and stole second.
Wayne dug in and got Beth Martin on a soft liner to second, then retired the side by striking out Alyssa Hartley. Campbell's hit was the only one Indian Land got until the sixth inning.
"This is the fourth time we've played Indian Land this year and we both won twice,'' Wayne said. "I knew it would be a challenge and that it would be a close game.
"The first time Indian Land batted, I was worried they were going to have a big day hitting the ball. But I was able to settle down and we played good defense.''
McBee tied the game in the top of the second. Wayne led off with a single and was replaced by courtesy runner Jessie McKenzie. She scored from first on an Indian Land fielding error.
The Lady Warriors self-destructed in the third, allowing the Lady Panthers to score their final two runs on a walk to Caitlin Isgett and an error that allowed Rachel Kelley to reach first safely. Isgett scorted from first on the error and Kelley crossed the plate for the winning run on a wild pitch.
Indian Land made three errors.
"We have been playing good defense, so I don't know where those errors came from,'' Barfield said. "The errors killed us in this game.''
Wayne's three-hit pitching was nearly equaled by Campbell and Coley, who combined for a four-hitter. Coley pitched the final two innings and struck out four.
After sitting Indian Land down in order in the third, fourth and fifth innings, she threw a fat pitch to Lady Warriors first baseman Paige Brugh, the leadoff hitter in the last of the sixth.
Brugh stepped into the fastball that came across the heart of the plate and blasted it over the fence in left for a solo home run. Martin lined a two-out single to right, but Wayne shut the door with a groundout to third.
The game was the last for seniors Ashley Vitek, Campbell and Coley, where they were handed softballs autographed by the team in their final circle together.
"It's tough that it's over,'' Campbell said. "I don't know why we stopped hitting. I was doing my best, but I've been putting my focus on pitching.
"Things happen, I guess. But it's hard to beat a good team three times.''
