It wasn’t their best performance, but the results were the same as the Catawba Ridge softball team won the District III championship and advances to the 4A Upper State bracket.
The Copperheads won 9-1 beating the Westside Rams allowing its only run in the District playoffs with the victory. Catawba Ridge went 3-0 in the playoff games outscoring the competition 25-1.
Catawba Ridge pitcher Chloe Burger pitched a complete game with umpires giving her a less than friendly strike zone to work with. Burger struck out six and walked three in the game while allowing two hits. In the three district games, she gave up just three hits total.
Catawba Ridge had 11 hits in the game, but head coach Michael Kidd felt like they could have done more than those nine runs. The Copperheads left seven runners on base.
“I would have liked to finish the game earlier to get Chloe some rest,” he said.
The Copperheads opened the game scoring a run in the bottom of the first on a Sarah Rocheleau double driving in Janelle Ilacqua. Then in the second inning Catawba Ridge scored five runs on four hits including a three-run home run from Audrey Wilson and an RBI double from Ally Testerman.
In the third inning, Westside got to Burger ever so slightly as she walked a couple before allowing the first of two hits in the game and the only run the Rams would score.
Catawba Ridge would make up for the one run allowed scoring three runs in the fourth inning on three hits. Kendra Murray would single in both Wilson, who singled to get on base, and Braylon Lawrence, who walked to reach base. Murray would score on the next batter as Jenna Gardner would drive her in on an RBI single.
With the win, Catawba Ridge improves to 23-4 on the season and will open the Upper State bracket later this week against Greenwood, who knocked off defending 4A state champions Lugoff-Elgin.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
