Hatch out-duels Beaver to put West Stanly up 1-0 over Eastern Randolph

Posted

GREENSBORO — West Stanly plated the game’s only run in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the ninth inning to slip by Eastern Randolph 1-0 in extra innings and claim the Game 1 victory in a best-of-three series for the NCHSAA 2A Softball State Championship at the UNC-Greensboro Softball Complex on Saturday afternoon.

The contest was slated to begin Friday night, but a sudden thunderstorm, coupled with a faulty sprinkler head, made the field too wet to play despite valiant efforts by the UNC-G grounds crew.

On Saturday, it was a classic pitcher’s duel between Eastern Randolph’s Savannah Beaver and West Stanly’s Jordan Hatch. Beaver twirled eight scoreless innings while only allowing three hits during that span. However, she gave up a lead-off double to Edwards in the bottom of the ninth, before surrendering the walk-off single to Shelby Barbee for the win. Barbee slashed a single through the left side to bring home Morgan Edwards with one out.

Beaver finished the game with one earned run allowed, five hits and six strikeouts and did not allow a walk.

Hatch, a Duke University commit and only a sophomore, was equally spectacular for West Stanly, matching Beaver pitch for pitch, in a nine-inning, six hit shutout effort. Hatch walked a single batter while striking out three in on the afternoon. Brooklyn Rush was the only Eastern Randolph batter to reach base twice against Hatch, as she had a pair of hits in a 2-for-4 effort.

Rush singled in the first and fifth innings as Eastern Randolph proceeded to eventually strand her both times while leaving nine on base including at least one in six of the nine innings.

Beaver, Aniyah King, Gerrilyn Milligan and Leighanna Ward were all 1-for-4.

Edwards paced the West Stanly offense with a 1-for-4 outing with a run and a double while Barbee was 1-for-4 with an RBI, Meredith Harwood and Roslyn McRae 1-for-3 each, and Ashlyn Hughes 1-for-4.