Lady Red Foxes are District 5 Champs
By: Don Gearhart
Needing two victories against host Hartsville, the Lady Thorouhbreds from South Aiken knew their task was ominous. They had just lost to the Lady Red Foxes a week ago 8-0 where they only got one bunt single and did not hit a ball out of the infield. So, when they went twelve up and twelve down to start the championship game, it looked pretty gloomy. Hartsville did score a run in the second inning when Kindon Dawson’s fly ball to right was dropped and Avarie Easters drove her home.
In the fourth inning, Easters collected her second hit and scored on an Abbey Byrd double.
South Aiken finally broke the scoring column against Hartsville in the fifth. A single and double produced that run making it 2-1 in favor of the Lady Red Foxes. Hartsville countered in their half of the fifth when Myah Harvey singled and Alyssa Poston walked. Both runners eventually scored on wild pitches to increase Hartsville’s lead to 4-1.
With one out in the sixth, Katie Roberts brought her team one run closer with a solo homer to right field. That’s all they would get as Poston retired the next five batters to seal the victory. Hartsville made the most of their six hits on the game with Harvey and Easters earning two apiece. The usually hard-hitting Lady Red Foxes were retired on 17 infield outs in the game.
Poston earned the win recording 13 strikeouts along with the two runs and four hits given up.
Lower State Playoffs
The top half of the Lower State Playoff bracket featured two teams that knew each other well as the West Florence Lady Knights made the short bus ride from Florence to Hartsville to face off against the Lady Red Foxes. Having beaten the Lady knights 12-1 and 8-2 in the regular season, nobody expected a low scoring game through the first five innings.
West had a runner aboard in each of the first three innings but a caught stealing in the first and a spectacular double play in the third shut down any scoring threats. Hartsville struck with two outs in the first when Alyssa Poston blasted a triple over the right fielder’s head and scored when the relay throw was not handled without miscue.
Myah Harvey got on base when she was hit by a pitch in the third but could not advance.
Poston took over as she recorded strikeouts against the next eight batters she faced and nine of the next ten. Going into the bottom of the sixth, Hartsville was looking for a little breathing room. What they got was more like a pure oxygen infusion. Olvia Martin walked to start the inning and was sacrificed to second by Poston. Caydon Thomson walked ahead of RBI singles by Kindon Lawson and Avarie Easters. Sarah Watkins doubled home two more runs. Abbey Byrd singled then Harvey was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Consecutive walks to Martin, Poston, and Thompson enable three more runs to score. Lawson was hit in the helmet netting yet another run. Easters then doubled home the ninth run of the inning to end the game 10-0.
Easters collected two of Hartsville’s seven hits. They also benefited from 7 walks and 3 hit-by-pitch. Poston earned the win striking out 13 over six innings, allowing four hits, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. Next up for Hartsville is another familiar foe in the South Florence Lady Bruins who defeated highly rated North Agusta 2-1.
