Fort Mill’s Maddie Drerup had 18 strikeouts and the game winning hit to lead the Jackets to the District championship game Wednesday.

The playoff game between Fort Mill and the Riverside Warriors was one of those games that whoever scored first was going to most likely get the win. Lucky for the Fort Mill softball team, they have pitcher Maddie Drerup.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Brynn Bartolini singled and then reached second on a throwing error. That set up Drerup who walked the game off with a double down the left field line to give Fort Mill the 1-0 win and a place in the District championship Wednesday. 

“She has been a horse for us all year long,” said Jackets’ head coach Chuck Stegall. “She works hard. She has done it at the plate as well as in the circle.”

Drerup ended up pitching a complete game allowing just two hits, walking none and striking out 18. 

The Jackets had their chances early but couldn’t plate Emma Tisdale who doubled in the third inning. She would reach third, but was left stranded to end the inning. Tisdale again reached in the fourth inning, but again was left waiting on the bag as Fort Mill failed to produce the runs they needed. Tisdale went 2-3 in the game.

Drerup cruised through the first three innings facing the minimum Riverside batters and striking out eight during that timeframe. 

Riverside did get their first base runner on an infield single in the fourth inning but she was left stranded on first to end the inning. The Warriors would hit a single in the eighth, but again couldn’t move her around.

In the sixth inning, Fort Mill had a single from Trista Reid, who went 2-3 in the game, followed by a single from Trinity Wall. However, before Wall’s hit Fort Mill put in a pinch runner for Reid. When Wall singled with two outs, the Jackets runner and Wall got tied up in the base paths and met into each other at third base. The mental mistake ultimately led to the pinch runner getting thrown out at home trying to score keeping the game scoreless through six innings. 

Fort Mill will now play the winner of Woodmont and Riverside at home Wednesday in the District championship needing to win just one of potentially two games to reach the Upper State bracket.

Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep

Brynn Bartolini had a key hit in the eighth inning and scored the winning run for Fort Mill against Riverside Saturday.