South, West Stanly softball head for Thursday showdown
Published 7:07 pm Wednesday, March 20, 2019
The high school softball teams of South Stanly and West Stanly will both bring undefeated and shutout streaks into Thursday’s showdown in Norwood.
South and West both won conference games on Tuesday night heading into the non-conference matchup.
No gate fee will be charged for this showdown between the two talented teams. Instead, fans will be asked to donate for a fundraiser for a local resident.
Julie Burris, a Norwood resident, is in CMC-Main in Charlotte after being diagnosed with leukemia. She had two sons who earned state championships in baseball at South Stanly: Colten in 2009 and Luke in 2012 and 2013.
W. Stanly 4, Forest Hills 0
The Colts continued to baffle opposing offenses Tuesday night on the road at Forest Hills. Jordan Hatch came up one hit and one plunked batter short of a perfect game and got offensive support early in winning over the Jackets (3-3, 0-1).
Hatch accounted for all but one of the 21 outs in the game fanning 20 batters in the win for West (6-0, 1-0 RRC).
Holly Griffin had the only hit of the game for the Jackets leading off the bottom of the second with a double to right. The only other Jacket to reach base, Addison Jones, was hit by a pitch in the sixth.
Morgan Edwards reached on an error to open the game then later scored on a Rosalyn McRae single. Hatch drove in McRae also in the first inning.
Hatch added two more RBIs in the top of the third with two outs, knocking a single to right field scoring Edwards and Shelby Barbee.
McRae and Match each had two hits for the Colts.
Tuesday’s victory was West’s sixth straight shutout win; Hatch and the Colts defense have now posted 41 straight scoreless innings. Hatch has pitched every inning for West, throwing five one-hit games while allowing eight hits in those 41 innings. She has walked two and struck out 86 batters.
S. Stanly 7
Uwharrie Charter 0
The Bulls made it seven wins in a row and improved to 7-0 in Yadkin Valley Conference play earning a forfeit win Tuesday over the Uwharrie Charter Eagles.
South head coach David Poplin said he played the game under protest because the pitching mound was closer then the regulation 43 feet. Upon measuring, the mound was 40 feet, according to Poplin.
The Eagles’ head coach took his players off the field and the game went as a forfeit to the Bulls.
South’s offense has been explosive early this season; the Bulls through six games are hitting .484 as a team with a .575 on-base percentage. Six of the Bulls’ players with 10 or more at plate appearances are batting at least .400 or better: Kaitlyn Tucker (.765), Holly Barrier (.692), Sadie Lee (.667), Mattie Hinson (.667), Adriana Efird (.455) and Makayla Poplin (.412).
Tucker, hitting leadoff, has 13 hits in 17 at-bats for a .765 average, including a double, triple, home run and 10 RBIs. Her on-base percentage is. 778 while having a slugging mark of 1.117.
On the pitching side, Lee has earned five of South’s six wins on the mound, allowing five earned runs on 10 hits in 24 innings pitched. All of those runs came in the Bulls’ 8-6 win over West Montgomery to open the season. She has walked five and struck out 25 batters.