Heritage softball hammers its way into second round of playoffs

The Region 6-AAAA and defending Class 4A state champion Heritage Generals opened defense of their title last Tuesday by walloping St. Pius X in two straight games at Heritage High School.

Heritage 15, St. Pius 0

In the opener of the bestof-three series, the Generals scored seven times in each of the first two innings to blow the game wide open.

Madeline Stone and Zoe Wright each had two-run singles in the bottom of the first, while Bailey Christol picked up an Rbi-double. Savannah Wilson and Riley Kokinda had two-run doubles in the second inning, while Sarah Haynes knocked in one run with a double.

Adie Ball would end the game in the bottom of the third inning with a walk-off Rbi-single.

Stone had three hits in the game for Heritage. Wright finished the opener with two hits and three RBIS.

Christol also had two hits, while Carmen Gayler, Lexi Duckett and Morgan Phillips all knocked in one run.

Rachel Gibson struck out seven batters in three innings, allowing just one walk and one hit to pick up the victory in the circle.

Heritage 16, St. Pius 3

Game 2 was tied 3-3 after three innings of play. Heritage, playing as the visiting team in the nightcap, scored three times in the first inning, but two errors in the bottom of the first helped the Golden Lions score twice to get back in the game. St. Pius would then tie it up with an Rbi-double in the third.

But any thoughts that the visitors from Atlanta would have of extending the series to a third game quickly dissolved a half-inning later.

Heritage erupted for 13 runs in the top of the fourth inning. After an initial out,

Danielle Pickett, General Photography Heritage’s Morgan Phillips slides into second base during a first-round playoff game against St. Pius X. The Generals won the series in a two-game sweep and were set to face third-ranked Eastside on Tuesday of this week in the second round.