MURRELLS INLET – It wasn’t pretty, but the Catawba Ridge Copperheads softball team used a little bit of everything to win game one in the 5A Division II state championship series.
Catawba Ridge won 9-6 over the St. James Sharks to open the series on the road after holding off a four-run seventh inning by the Sharks.
“It was important to keep stacking runs and play small ball,” said Catawba Ridge head softball coach Mike Mayak. “Those little things added up to the crooked number on the scoreboard. In the end, we didn’t have to worry about scoring, we could just trade outs for runs.”
Catawba Ridge freshman starter Keira O’ Brien pitched a complete game, but at times showed her youth. She allowed six runs on eight hits, while walking three and striking out 10. She also hit four batters.
“The crowd was phenomenal,” Mayak said. “She couldn’t hear my pitch calls. We need to execute our pitches better and she will rebound. She doesn’t walk that many batters. I don’t anticipate her walking many or hitting batters.”
Mayak expects a fight from St. James in game two on Wednesday, May 26 at Catawba Ridge.
“It’s going to be a battle,” he said. “I don’t anticipate a blowout game. We are expecting their best.”
Jaidyn Harris led the game off with a walk to open game one for the Copperheads. BG Yates would reach on a fielder’s choice and Sarah Rocheleau would beat out an infield single. Despite the early action, Catawba Ridge couldn’t score in the inning.
The Sharks started the bottom of the inning off with a single. After two outs, Abby Allred doubled to put a runner on third and threaten, but O’ Brien got out of the jam without allowing a run.
In the third inning, Aloni Hogans reached on an error and Harris tripled to put the Copperheads up 1-0. A passed ball allowed Harris to score during the next at-bat. Rocheleau reached to put runners on the corners and Harris drove in Yates on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
The fourth inning saw Peyton Batot walk to start the inning for the Copperheads. Hogans singled to put runners on the corners and Harris again drove in a run on a sacrifice fly giving Catawba Ridge a fourth run.
As the rain began to fall, St. James got the first hitter of the inning on base with a walk to lead off the bottom half of the inning. After a strikeout by O’Brien, a second walk put two runners on with one out and then a hit batter loaded the bases giving the Sharks their best inning of the game at that point.
St. James scored their first run of the game after another hit batter kept the bases loaded. O’Brien was able to lock in and come back with two strikeouts to get out of the inning.
Catawba Ridge got that run back in the next inning. Rocheleau doubled to lead the fifth inning off and Mia Kovacs traded places with her to put the Copperheads up 5-1.
The Sharks started playing better as the game went on and scored a second run with two outs in the bottom of the fifth.
Harris hit a one out double in the top of the sixth inning. Rocheleau tripled in Harris as Catawba Ridge added to their total. Murray hit a two-run home run to right field to the delight of the Copperheads’ fan base that made the more than three-hour trip. Kovacs doubled after an 11-pitch at-bat, but Catawba Ridge couldn’t score anymore as they went to the bottom of the sixth leading 8-2.
Once the rain stopped, O’ Brien found her groove again and settled back in during the bottom of the sixth.
In the seventh, Camryn Bird walked and Charli Burney reached on a fielder’s choice. Burney would score on a sacrifice by Hogans. Harris was hit by a pitch and Yates doubled, but again the Copperheads left runners on as the inning ended.
St. James came back in the bottom of the seventh inning with three consecutive singles to load the bases and then a hit batter allowed a third run for the Sharks. Two more back-to-back walks with no outs kept the rally going for St. James. The Sharks scored another run on a fielder’s choice, but O’Brien, as she had done all game, shook off the pressure and came back to kill the rally.
At the plate, Harris went 2-3 with two RBIs and Rocheleau went 3-4 with an RBI. Murray went 1-4 with three RBIs and Kovacs was 2-4 with an RBI.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
