CHESNEE, S.C. – With two weeks left in the regular season, two area softball teams met in a non-region tilt as the Chesnee Eagles hosted the Chapman Panthers. It was a tightly contested battle between the two clubs, but when the dust settled, Chapman picked up a 4-3 win over the Eagles.
Chesnee struck in the first inning when Claire Owens singled and later scored on a Chapman error. Skylar Barrett reached base on the error and sprinted home on a Delani Wright triple to right. Wright scored on a passed ball, which made for a 3-0 Eagle lead. Chapman’s Sam McPhail drew a one-out walk in the second, advanced on a passed ball, and touched home plate on an Alexis Floyd opposite-field single to right, cutting the deficit to a 3-1 score. The Eagles looked poised to extend the lead in the third following an Ansley Blanton double to right-center, but two groundouts ended the frame. “I won’t even lie,” said Chapman head coach Casey Green. “Not playing solid defense and the score going to 3-0 just like that in the first inning, it was a little bit of a panic just because of losing to Blue Ridge on Friday. I am just proud of them for chipping away.” Krislyn Wilder worked a walk in the fourth for the Panthers and rounded the bases on a Kenslie Edwards double to center, which trimmed the deficit down to a 3-2 margin. An error to begin the fifth inning put Chapman’s Hailey Coley in scoring position. Two batters later, Rylan Ivey put down a bunt single on the first base side, which allowed Coley to score and tie the game at three. “We’re proud of their effort and the energy from the dugout,” said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle. “Obviously, there are some at-bats and plays that we would like to have back. Softball’s not a game of perfection – it is a game of adjusting to the next pitch that is coming. Our girls kept fighting.” Fisher led off the Panthers’ last at bat with a bunt single before swiping second. Reagan Garrett sliced an opposite-field single to right, which saw Fisher cross home plate for a 4-3 Chapman lead and provided the final margin. “We’ve struggled with bunting,” Green stated. “I was thinking that if we get nothing else out of this game, we were going to at least have some bunt attempts. My girls became confident in bunting, so they called their own on a couple of those. I don’t mind them doing that if they read the defense and they are confident with it.” Claire Owens was the lone hitter in the contest to record multiple hits on either side, as she went 2-for-4 with a run scored for Chesnee, while Blanton, Wright, and Faith Wall each recorded one hit in three at-bats. Bella Rollins also notched four strikeouts in the circle for the Eagles. “Claire is an eighth grader and works her tail off,” Fogle exclaimed. “She takes her at-bats very seriously. She is just a spark plug for us and a great kid. When you work hard, things will pay off for you.” Garrett went 1-for-3 with a run batted in and tossed a complete game with four strikeouts. Fisher and Ivey each went 1-for-4, while Edwards (1-for-2, RBI) and Floyd (1-for-3, RBI) also recorded hits for the Panthers. Chapman (12-5) will host Travelers Rest in a Region 3-3A contest on Thursday, April 18th at 7:30 PM. There will be a ceremony recognizing the senior softball players prior to the game. Chesnee has a quick turnaround, as the Eagles will make the trek over to Blacksburg for a 6:00 PM contest on Tuesday, April 16th. Comments are closed.
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