Panthers Softball Keeps It Rolling To Upper State Championship Game After Defeating Hurricanes5/17/2023
PIEDMONT, S.C. – For the second time in a week, the Chapman Panthers faced the Wren Golden Hurricanes, this time in an elimination game. Midway through the contest, the Lady Panthers found a spark at the plate and emerged with a 5-1 victory, earning a berth in the 3A softball Upper State Final.
Trailing by a run entering the fifth inning, the Chapman batting order came to life. Rylan Ivey smacked an opposite-field double to right-center and advanced to third on a Hailey Coley sacrifice bunt. Autumn Fisher ripped a two-out single down the left field line and took second on an error, scoring Ivey to tie the game. “I was just looking for a good spot to hit the ball and get on base,” Ivey said. “I didn’t think I was going to hit it as far as I did. I was just hoping that we could put the ball in play. It means a lot (to play for Upper State). We’ve just got to push and keep going.” Krislyn Wilder drilled a double down the line to the right field wall, allowing Fisher to cross home plate. Sarah Byrd drew a walk that put two runners aboard for Reagan Garrett. Facing a 1-2 count, Garrett launched the next offering over the wall in left-center for her 13th home run of the season, staking Chapman to a 5-1 advantage. “I’m not going to lie – I thought it was a home run,” Wilder recalled. “For the past four at bats against their pitcher, I had been hitting pop ups on the infield. I just wanted to put my team in a position where we would be comfortable when we got back on the field. I knew that I needed to get at least two bases and get into scoring position. It means a lot for us to have this opportunity.” Garrett also twirled a gem in the circle for the Panthers, limiting the Hurricanes to one run on two hits and tallying six strikeouts on the evening. The defense also produced a pair of key plays. With a runner on and one out in the fourth, Sophie Whitley snagged a liner that appeared bound for left field and quickly fired over to first base for an inning-ending double play. Later in the sixth, Garrett made a diving grab on the third base side for an out. “I knew that I had to spin and locate the ball better than I did last Friday,” stated Garrett. “Honestly, my approach was different in that at-bat (in the fifth). I made sure that my hands were high and that I saw the ball all the way in. It feels really, really good to be playing for Upper State.” At the plate, Ivey finished with two hits in three at-bats, while Fisher and Wilder each notched a hit and run batted in. Byrd earned two free passes, while Abby Gossett also recorded an opposite-field double to right-center. Garrett finished 1-for-3 with a game-high three RBI. “Rae threw her heart out,” exclaimed Chapman head coach Casey Green. “It seems like once we get past the first or second inning, we settle in and start grinding. It was great seeing Krislyn pull through on her double, Rylan being there to score (the tying run), and Reagan coming up big with the home run.” “We focused on making contact and pitch selection,” Green added about the approach at the plate. “We told (our team) to wait on your pitch, especially with one or two strikes, and it seemed to work. My theory is when a team scores a run, we’ve got to score anyway. If we have to score one, that will tie it up and we can go at it from there.” Next up for Chapman (22-6) is a road matchup against the Crescent Tigers on Friday, slated for a 6 PM start. The winner advances to the State Championship series on Monday. Comments are closed.
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