Published: June 05, 2008 02:44 pm            

SWRHS fast-pitch dreams

RALEIGH — Every fast-pitch softball team that earns the right to make a trip to Raleigh’s Walnut Creek softball complex to participate in the final four match up has dreams of bringing home a state championship.

For the Lady Cougars from Southwestern Randolph High School, that dream came to reality last year as they claimed the 2007 3-A fast-pitch softball title.

In 2008, they looked to make it back-to-back championships.

Unfortunately it was not to be for the 2008 team, which finished the season with a 24-4 record, as they fell 4-0 in the fourth game to the South Central Falcons.

On Friday, they reclaimed the Western Regional title defeating the Sugar Jets from Enka in a 1-0 nine inning game. Later that day, in the battle between regional champions, SWR dropped a 9-8 decision to the Falcons from South Central.

In Saturday’s action, Southwest shut out the Triton Hawks 4-0 in the first game of the elimination bracket to earn another shot at South Central. Unfortunately for the Lady Cougars, a couple of timely hits by the Falcons earned them the 4-0 win and the 2008 State Championship, the first for South Central High School.

The 2008 team was a younger team than their last season counterparts, a seasoned group making three trips to Raleigh in four years playing together.

“We’re losing three seniors but we’re really young,” said Head Coach Steve Taylor. “We’ve got a really talented jayvee team and I think this team will do really well next year. Whatever they want to do, we’ll do it.”

One thing they did accomplish in Raleigh was to claim another Western Regional title.

Southwest opened Friday’s action against the Sugar Jets from Enka High School. This game stayed tight as it was a marathon game going into nine innings. In the circle for Southwest against Enka was junior Anna Maness, and defensively that’s all the Lady Cougars needed as Maness claimed a four-hitter in the Regional final. She also had six strike outs and walked only one in a complete game effort for the Lady Cougars.

Offensively, SWR had runners in scoring position in the first, second, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings but didn’t push the winning run across until the ninth.

Junior Amelia Frye opened the bottom of the ninth singling to left field, and advanced to second on a stolen base, all with no outs.

Junior Hannah Hughes sacrificed Frye to third with a grounder to second, and then newcomer freshman Kelsey Hoover, who was 2 for 4, singled in the winning and only run of the game with another hit to left.

Freshman Sydney Hyder was also 2 for 4 for the Lady Cougars who collectively had 13 hits for the contest while the Sugar Jets only had four. Pitcher Jamie Burwell had five strike-outs and three walks in the losing effort for Enka.

The second game of the night in the winners bracket matched up the two Regional champions, the Falcons from South Central High School and the Lady Cougars.

Southwestern Randolph jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the bottom of the third inning thanks to a solo home run by junior Holly Berry in the second and a big five run third.

From there, the tides turned on SWR, as South Central started hitting Maness and had two back-to-back innings, posting three runs in the top of the fourth and four runs in the fifth to take a 7-6 lead.

SWR tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning as another error allowed Frye to reach base safely and then junior Hannah Hughes doubled to left scoring Frye from second.

South Central, which is located in Winterville in Pitt County, answered right back in the top of the seventh as two Lady Cougar errors provided help for the Lady Falcons to put runners across for the 9-7 lead. Southwest did get one run in the bottom of the inning but was unable to tie the game losing 9-8.

In day two action on Saturday, the Lady Cougars opened up taking on the Lady Hawks from Triton High School.

Southwest opened day two just as they did the first day of action at the state championships, being the victors, as they defeated Triton 4-0 behind Maness’ seven strike-out, five-hit shut-out performance.

Maness also provided ample offense for SWR as she belted a two-run homer to right centerfield in the bottom of the fifth inning giving the Lady Cougars a 3-0 cushion.

Frye had a good day at the plate going 2-for-3 with an RBI as Southwest advanced to take on South Central for the second day in a row.

Triton finished the season with a 22-7 record.

The championship game was less of an offensive battle as their previous meeting the day before. It turned out to be more of a pitching dual between Maness and SC pitcher Caitlin Wainright.

South Central provided all the offense in this contest as Wainright, seven strikeouts, one walk, and only seven hits against, held the Lady Cougars in check.

Maness had three strikeouts and three walks while giving up nine hits in the contest.

The Lady Falcons put two runs across in the bottom of the second, all with two outs on the board.

After Maness struck out both junior Jackie Kramzar and senior Nina Varner, junior Kimberly Boltinhouse singled to put a runner on. Senior Emily Perkins followed reaching on a dropped fly ball error by sophomore left fielder Erin Billups.

Freshman Morgan Davis reached on a field choice loading the bases for eventual tournament MVP Andrea Britt who doubled bringing both Boltinhouse and Perkins.

Until the fifth inning, the Lady Cougars didn’t have a runner who advanced further than first. In the fifth they had a runner on third with one out and failed to bring her across.

SC put another run across in the bottom of the sixth, and Wainright sealed the deal in the seventh giving South Central, 25-2, their first state fast-pitch championship.

Leading hitters for Southwest: Brittany Marsh who was 1 for 2 for the game. Leading hitters for the game for South Central: Morgan Davis and Kimberly Boltinhouse were both 2 for 3, and Andrea Britt was 2 for 4 with two RBIs.Southwestern fast-pitchers finish No. 2

        

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