CHESNEE, SC - The Chesnee Eagles are moving on to the AA Upper State Championship series thanks to a 7-0 win over the Saluda Tigers in the AA District I Championship game on Wednesday night.
"I'm proud of our girls and proud of our community's support," said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle. "I'm proud we could get this done this evening." Early momentum is key in any sporting event and the Tigers grabbed it in the top of the first inning after Tamia Daniels and Natalee Herron hit back-to-back singles to lead off the game. The Eagles quickly snatched the momentum right back as Maddie Handy struck out the next batter and Harley Grady followed it up with an unassisted double play to swing the momentum back to the home dugout. "It got the crowd into it, and when our crowd supports like that it gives us all the momentum in the world," said Grady about the momentum gained from her double play. "Harley is always heads up and she is so quick," said Fogle. "She does her job and puts the work in. Everyone did all the little things right on that play, it was beautiful to watch." Claire Owens sparked the Eagles with a leadoff single in the bottom of the first inning and took second base on a throwing error. She later stole third base on a bang-bang play that saw her get under the tag before scoring on Maddie Handy's RBI groundout to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead. Handy delivered a shutdown inning in the top of the second inning as she struck out all three batters she faced in the inning. Harley Grady led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a single as Claire Owens followed with a single of her own. For the second time in the game her speed down the line caused a rushed throw that turned into an error as Grady scored thanks to the error and Owens wound up at third base. Owens later scored on Aubrey Aparis's RBI groundout as Maddie Handy followed with a double before scoring on Emily Pruett's RBI single to make it 4-0 in favor of the Eagles after five innings. The Eagles added more breathing room in the bottom of the sixth inning as Skylar Barrett reached base after being hit by a pitch with one out while Claire Owens and Aubrey Aparis followed with back-to-back two out singles to load the bases. Maddie Handy promptly cleared them all off of the bases with a three RBI double. "I think the two big innings helped us be able to settle in in the field and play our game defensively," said Handy about the two big offensive innings. Handy not only ended the game with two doubles and four RBIs, but she also picked up the win in the pitching circle. She scattered three hits with only one hit allowed after the first inning while striking out 10 batters which put her at 193 for the season. "I knew tonight was going to be more difficult than the first match as they have already seen me before," said Handy. "I struggled in the first inning but was able to settle in and pitch my game." "She's special," said Fogle about Handy. "Not a single person in the stadium was surprised as she has earned herself a reputation as a great pitcher." Claire Owens had four hits, stole a base, and scored twice as her speed put a lot of pressure on the Tiger defense. Pruett, Grady, and Jada Sellars also had hits for the Eagles. The Eagles will host Mid-Carolina on Friday at 7:00 PM in the first game of the AA Upper State Championship series. "It's exciting to get another opportunity to play in front of our home crowd and continue playing with my teammates," said Harley Grady said about the Eagles advancing on in the playoffs. Comments are closed.
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