The Catawba Ridge Copperheads softball team is heading back to the 4A state championship series.
Catawba Ridge shutout the North Augusta Yellow Jackets for the second straight game with a 2-0 win on Saturday in the Swamp, just a day after winning 6-0 at North Augusta Friday, May 17 to take the best of three series 2-0. The Copperheads improved to 27-2 with the sweep of North Augusta.
Catawba Ridge will now face the West Florence Knights, who are 20-4, for the 4A state championship this coming week with game one being at West Florence High School Tuesday, May 21. Game two against West Florence is scheduled for Catawba Ridge on Thursday, May 23. If there was to be a game three, it would be at a neutral site.
Copperheads head coach Michael Kidd said he expects a battle against the Knights.
“They are going to be solid in the circle,” Kidd said. “They are fast.”
Catawba Ridge will be without one of their better players in Jaidyn Harris who broke her leg in the first game Friday against North Augusta.
“I would feel better if she could play,” he said. “It is hard when you lose someone like that. We are just going to have to get another kid ready.”
The game two match up Saturday against North Augusta was somewhat of a nail biter.
Nothing happened in the first inning as both teams stranded a base runner to open the game.
Catawba Ridge threatened even more in the second inning as Jordan Hulen hit a one out single and
Morgan Bagshaw walked, but the Copperheads couldn’t get a run across.
North Augusta did the same thing in the top of the third getting two runners on off singles, but the Catawba Ridge defense held up to get out of the inning.
The Copperheads finally broke through in the fourth inning as Mia Kovacs singled and then courtesy runner Charli Burney scored on a sacrifice fly by Kyrsten Reynolds giving Catawba Ridge a 1-0 lead.
North Augusta again threatened in the top of the fifth after the leadoff batter reached on a walk and made it to third with no outs. Copperheads’ starter Chloe Burger battled back to get the next three outs without allowing the run.
The sixth inning Burger looked stronger facing the minimum against the Jackets. Catawba Ridge got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning as Sarah Rocheleau walked and stole both second and third bases before scoring on a North Augusta error.
Burger then came back and shutdown the Jackets once again facing the minimum to clinch the win in the seventh. She pitched a complete game allowing just three hits, while striking out seven and walking two.
At the plate, Catawba Ridge got just four hits as Hulen, Kovacs, Kendra Murray and Braylon Lawrence each got a hit.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
