Regional Champions Crowned
Lady Trojans topple Rison
MAGNET COVE - For the second game in a row, eight was enough for Parkers Chapel, which knocked down Rison 7-4 in eight innings Monday to win the 2A South Regional Softball Tournament. Junior Savannah Slaughter cranked a threerun home run in the top of the eighth to secure the victory.
"Obviously, it's very hard to win three in a row," said Parkers Chapel coach Justin Welch. "The girls went out there and did something most people probably didn't think they had a chance in the world to do. A lot of people looked at Rison as being unbeatable. Everything didn't go our way but they always made the big plays. This is a very gritty bunch."
The Lady Wildcats tied the game on a two-out, two run single by Cassie Dees in the bottom of the seventh inning.
On the international tiebreaker, PC opened the eighth with Savannah Jones perched on second base. After two failed bunt attempts, Kenlee McAuliffee hit a ground ball to short but Jones was tagged out after a rundown. After Bailey Norwood walked on four pitches, Slaughter came to the plate and got down 1-2 in the count. On a 3-2 pitch, Slaughter hit a line drive to left that just cleared the fence.
"I could tell once she worked it back to a full count, she was going to get a good ball to hit," said Welch. "I just told her she should get something to hit. She turned on that thing and when it left the bat, you knew it had a chance. Obviously, we were all pretty excited about it. I mean, that was a huge moment and she stepped up. I'm proud of her."
Welch was pleased with the way his team
responded in the inning.
"I was afraid it was going to deflate the girls but I never saw a single one of them slump their shoulders," he said.
In the bottom of the eighth, Courtney Phelps recorded a strikeout before Madison Kinley hit a line drive up the middle. PC second baseman Savannah Jones stretched out to snag the line drive and then stepped on second for the game-ending double play.
Phelps allowed 10 hits in the game with one walk and five strikeouts.
"I thought Courtney did an excellent job of executing our game plan and the girls had her back," said Welch. "We knew we had to make plays and the defense made some great plays. It was a total team effort from top to bottom."
PC drew first blood in the top of the first. Allison Rogers doubled and scored on a double by Jones. Rison scored two in the bottom of the first but the Lady Trojans recaptured the lead with two in the sixth. Jones singled and scored on a triple by McAuliffee. Kaylin Waller bounced to third but McAuliffee beat the tag at the plate with a slide around the catcher.
PC extended the lead to 4-2 with a run in the seventh. Rogers reached on a fielder's choice and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Parkers Chapel opens play in the 2A State Tournament on Friday at 3 p.m. at East Poinsett County High School in Lepanto.