It wasn’t the dominating performance that the Catawba Ridge Copperheads softball team is used to, but in the end the results were the same.
Catawba Ridge beat the Woodmont Wildcats 8-3 on the back of two three-run home runs by Sarah Rocheleau, who went 2-4 with six RBIs. The win put the Copperheads up 1-0 in the best of three series against the Wildcats in the Upper State Championship series. Catawba Ridge improved to 28-2 on the season. Game two is at Woodmont at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21.
“We know at this point with the final four you aren’t getting any cupcakes,” said Catawba Ridge head softball coach Mike Mayak. “These guys gave us a great battle. It was a great game.”
After cruising to start the top of the first, Jaidyn Harris and BG Yates walked to lead the bottom of the inning off. Rocheleau then crushed a three-run home run to put the Copperheads up early without an out.
Woodmont didn’t go lightly as they had two singles in the top of the second to threaten. The offense for Catawba Ridge slowed down in the second inning as the Copperheads failed to get any runners on.
Yates started the third inning off with a double. Rocheleau sacrificed Yates to third as Kendra Murray hit a little Texas Leaguer over the third baseman head to score Yates. Kovacs walked and Kyrsten Reynolds singled to load the base. Despite having the bases loaded, the Copperheads couldn’t scratch a run as they went to the fourth inning with a 4-0 lead.
The Wildcats started the fourth inning with an infield single and then a walk put two runners on before a sacrifice. Woodmont got their first run with a single to right.
Copperheads’ starter Keira O’Brien was able to regroup and get out of the inning without allowing another run.
After a pitching change for Woodmont in the bottom of the fourth, Catawba Ridge struggled to figure out the Wildcats’ new pitcher and managed just an infield single in the inning.
In the fifth, Woodmont had a batter hit by a pitch and then would score on a throwing error later in the inning to cut the Catawba Ridge lead in half at 4-2.
Woodmont kept the momentum going in the sixth. A walk and then a blooper into right score another run for the Wildcats. Woodmont put runners on the corners, but O’Brien worked her way out of the jam.
In the bottom of the sixth, Catawba Ridge got some runs back as Aloni Hogans got hit by a pitch and Harris doubled to score her. Yates singled and Rocheleau hit her second three run home run of the game to put the Copperheads up 8-3.
“You could feel the momentum shift,” Mayak said. “All of a sudden, we got an insurance run. A little bit of small ball mixed in with power from Sarah (Rocheleau). They didn’t give up. They kept battling.”
Besides Rocheleau’s heroics, Yates went 3-3 and Murray went 2-4 with an RBI. O’Brien pitched a complete game allowing three runs on two hits, while walking two and striking out 10.
May 19 Roundup
The Nation Ford Falcons golf team sits in sixth place currently at the 5A Division II state championship at The Cliffs Mountain Course. Nation Ford shot a 298 on day one of the two-day tournament. They were led by a 74 from both Carter Smith and Oliver LaPointe. Harrison LaPointe and Justin Wosje both shot a round of 75. Catawba Ridge and Fort Mill had two individuals in the tournament each. The Copperheads Bray Vining shot a 76 and Niam Sethi shot an 82. Fort Mill’s Baker Tolentino shot an 80 and Noah Jones shot an 82.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
