Dillon Christian finishes season in championship round of SCISA AA tournament bracket
Lady Warriors push eventual state champion Clarendon Hall to if game
Dillon – Dillon Christian School softball head coach Tommy Sherman was happy with the season that his team just completed. The Warriors finished with a 13-7 record and made it to the final game in their half of the bracket of the SCISA AA state tournament at Patriot Park SportPlex in Sumter.
Dillon Christian was actually a game away from playing in the state championship series. The Lady Warriors got an 8-0 shutout victory from senior All-State pitcher Savannah Sherman in the circle against Clarendon Hall to force an if game. However, they came up short as they lost 13-1 to the Lady Saints, who were the defending Class A state champions and went on to win the AA crown.
“I would rate our season as a success,” said Coach Sherman, whose team went 8-0 in winning the Region 3 championship. “We finished higher than any team at our school ever has. Our goal, of course, was a state championship. After winning our region as an undefeated team, I would’ve liked to have been seeded higher. We felt we were definitely one of the best teams in the state.”
Dillon Christian opened with a 7-6 victory over Andrew Jackson Academy. The Lady Warriors got off to a 3-1 lead in the first inning, but AJA rallied to go up 6-3. DCS tied the game with a 3-run fifth and won in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh.
Lilly Shooter had two hits to lead Dillon Christian. Molly Andrews had a 2-run single and scored twice, while Selena Johnson had a 2-run double. Hailey Atkinson had an RBI single and scored twice.
Dillon Christian would run into Calhoun Academy in its next game and lose 6-0. It came back on Saturday and won a tough game against region foe Lee Academy 6-5. That set up a matchup against undefeated Clarendon Hall.
Savannah Sherman tossed a 5-hit shutout against the Lady Saints and DCS had 10 hits. Atkinson went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and a run batted in, while Johnson was also 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI. Shooter was 2-for-4 with two runs, Sherman had a hit and a run, and Presley McKenzie had a hit and an RBI.
In the deciding game, Clarendon Hall scored five runs in the top of the first and DCS never recovered. Alex Heasley had a hit and scored the Lady Warriors’ only run. McKenzie had two hits.
“Our pitching was solid along with defense and hitting,” Sherman said. “We just ran out of gas having to play 35 innings in two days in the heat. I really wish we could’ve had a shot at them in a format similar to the SCHSL (South Carolina High School League) playoffs with fresh pitching and legs.”
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