The upset-minded Lady Hawks were poised for an upset and took the No. 1-ranked Chapmanville Regional High School girls’ softball team to the brink before falling 1-0 to the Lady Tigers in the first game of the best-of-three Class AA sectional tourney on Scott’s diamond at Madison.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning.
Chapmanville (25-3) won it when senior centerfielder Beth Baldwin ripped an RBI single up the middle off Scott pitcher Krissy Smith to end the game.
Baldwin had runners at second and third with one out when he came up to bat. Lauren Shumate led off with a walk and Lauren McCann singled before Poppy Ramey popped out to short.
Andi Williamson, a University of Tennessee signee, fired the complete-game one-hitter for the Lady Tigers. She hurled seven innings and allowed just one walk while striking out 11.
Scott’s lone hit was a one-out single by Ashley Townsley in the fifth.
Despite only having one hit the entire game the No. 5-ranked and defending sectional champion Lady Hawks had their chances.
In the top of the seventh, Kelsey Leadman reached base safely on a two-base Chapmanville error but was stranded there after a pop out and a strikeout.
Back in the top of the fifth, Katie Tadlock walked and Townsley singled to left but Chapmanville left fielder Shumate gunned down Tadlock, who was trying to reach third base. Townsley was later tagged out in a rundown between third and second for the third out.
Back in the top of the second, Leadman was hit by a pitch and then bunted to second by Abby Boyce but Williamson fanned two straight batters to end the threat.
Chapmanville had five hits off Smith.
Baldwin led the way as she was 2-for-3 with the game-winning RBI. Jenna Evans, Tiffini Hale and McCann had one hit each. Shumate drew three straight walks.
The Lady Tigers also had their chances, stranding two runners on base in the second and fourth innings.
Smith walked four batters and had no strikeouts.
The victory leaves Chapmanville just one win away from capturing its first sectional title in two years. The Lady Hawks and Lady Tigers are set to play Game 2 today at 5 p.m., weather permitting.
If CRHS prevails, the Lady Tigers would host a Class AA regional semifinal game on May 14 against a team to be determined later.
The Logan High School girls’ softball team was rained out for a second straight night in its Class AAA sectional game at South Charleston.
The Lady Cats and the Black Eagles will try again today at 5 p.m. at South Charleston.
Rain, however, is again in the forecast.
Logan is 24-5 heading into the three-team sectional.
George Washington is also in the field. The Lady Cats beat South Charleston, 3-2, at home earlier in the season. Logan downed George Washington, 8-0, at home in the only meeting this season between the two teams.
LHS is back in Triple-A first the first time since 2002, when it won the 3A state championship. Logan was a 2A school the last six years.
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