INMAN, S.C. – Wednesday marked a significant Region 3-3A showdown between the Blue Ridge Tigers and Chapman Panthers on the softball diamond, as one team had its sights set on accomplishing a goal.
One big inning paired with some key defensive plays helped Chapman emerge with a 6-2 victory over the Tigers and clinch the region championship. Krislyn Wilder led off the inning with a single to right and stole second, while Sarah Byrd drew a walk, putting two aboard on for the Panthers. Reagan Garrett then sent a full count offering to the left-center field wall, scoring Wilder and Byrd for a 2-0 lead. On the very next pitch, Abby Gossett sent a two-run blast the opposite way to right, which brought home Kayla Hardin (courtesy runner for Garrett) and staked Chapman to a 4-0 lead. “We had to get used to the pitcher,” Gossett stated. “After we saw her a couple of times, we were able to get our energy up and put some hits together after that. Honestly, I’ve never hit a home run with that trajectory. I was a little surprised when it went over, but I knew that I had hit it pretty good.” Defensively, the Panthers made a handful of plays that proved to be key. Wilder made a sliding catch in the fourth, taking away what appeared to be a base hit to shallow center. In the sixth, a chopper was hit between third base and shortstop. Garrett quickly made the grab, looked the runner back to second, and made the out at first. The second happened in the final frame as she made a diving grab near third and fired it to Whitley at first for the out. “I was just looking for the ball,” Garrett said. “I wanted the ball every pitch. I was making sure that I had it and made a good throw to first. It felt pretty good to do that because I haven’t had many reps at third base, so I knew making that play helped a lot.” Ally Kay Nodine hit a two-run shot to center in the fourth that cut the deficit down to two. In that same inning, Wilder recorded another base knock to begin the Panthers’ fourth and scored from first on a Byrd single to right-center, making it a three-run Panther advantage. Later in the sixth, Gossett lined a base hit just inside the third base bag and scored on a Sophie Whitley two-out double down the left field line, extending the Chapman lead to 6-2. “We’re excited,” exclaimed Chapman head coach Casey Green. “I talked to them earlier in the season about goals. This was our first goal – to win the region, set ourselves up nicely for the playoffs, and to keep home field advantage while we could. It feels nice to check one off and to be able to go after the next one.” Gossett finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Wilder also was 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs scored. Whitley also recorded a two-hit game, while Garrett, Byrd, and Rylan Ivey each tallied one hit apiece. Chapman (14-4, 7-0 Region) will return to action on Friday at Travelers Rest. NOTE: The varsity game will start at 5:30 PM and will be followed by the JV game. Comments are closed.
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October 2023
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