It has been over a decade since Trinity (Whitesville) has advanced to the All “A” Classic Statewide Softball Tournament, and they have shown no interest in going home early. In the pool play, the Lady Raiders finished 2-1, with wins of 11-6 and 13-3 over Clinton County and Somerset, respectively, and a close 2-0 loss to Raceland.
After starting Saturday 2-0, the Lady Raiders clinched a spot in today’s single-elimination tournament and must win three straight games to win their first ever All “A” title.
“I am really proud of how the girls have played so far,” head coach Jessica Morris said after their second game. “In the first game, we did exactly what I wanted to do — put runs on the board early, and then we kept going with that. This second game took us a bit longer to get started, but once we adjusted to their pitching, we just kept going.”
In their opener against Clinton County, the Lady Raiders jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to clutch hits by Kendall Howard, Sophie Hatfield, and Ella Morris. Trinity added two more runs in the bottom of the second after Lucy Hallmark scored on a wild pitch and Sarah Payne on a sacrifice fly. The Lady Raiders added one more run in the fourth, two in the fifth, and three in the seventh.
Ella Morris, Madison McDaniel, Payne, and Hatfield combined for eight hits and eight RBIs, while Howard went 3-5 with an RBI. Hatfield threw a complete game on the mound, allowing three earned runs over seven innings, striking out eight.
In their second game, the Lady Raiders started slow, before waking up and taking a 4-0 lead in the top of the third. A defensive error on a grounder to third base allowed Aubrey Millay to score. A fielder’s choice, a passed ball, and an RBI single rounded out the scoring. Trinity (Whitesville) scored four more runs in the fifth and five in the sixth to close it out.
Aubree McKinney led the way with three RBIs, while Hatfield, Howard, and Hallmark combined for four hits and six RBIs. Ella Morris was lights out in the circle, allowing three earned runs over six innings, striking out 12.
“I have been impressed with our offense in both games,” Morris said after the Somerset game. “We were able to put up 11 runs in the first game and 13 runs there, so we just have to keep that going.”
When speaking with Coach Morris, she acknowledged that her team was in for a challenge against Raceland.
It was a pitchers’ duel to start the third game, with both the Lady Raiders and Lady Rams throwing four scoreless innings to start. In the bottom of the fifth, Raceland broke the scoreless tie thanks to an RBI single by Kali Vance. In the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Raiders added an insurance run after Baylee Burney scored on an error.
Morris and Howard had the only hits for the Lady Raiders, while Hatfield allowed one earned run over 4 1/3 innings. Morris pitched the last 1 2/3 innings in relief, striking out five and giving up one unearned run.
Despite the loss, the Lady Raiders have their eyes set on a deep tournament run, and Coach Morris likes their chances.
“The good thing is we have both Ella and Sophie, so if one is not working, then we can hopefully throw the other,” Morris said. “We know we’re going to have to come out and really work hard to advance tomorrow.”
