BHP Softball Back in AAA Upper State Tourney

By Dennis Brunson

‘          hssr.com Associate Editor

           Honea Path – The Belton-Honea Path High School softball team may have finished third in Region 1-AAA, but it was two victories away from reaching the state championship series for a third consecutive season.

           The Bears won their district tournament to advance to the upper state tournament for a third straight year. They then knocked off Mountain View Prep 1-0 in the opening game on May 15.

           BHP, which was 22-9 after that victory, was scheduled to play at Crescent on May 18 with the winner advancing to the championship round of the tournament and being just one win away from clinching a spot in the state championship series.

           “It was a pitcher’s duel for sure,” BHP head coach Jarad Jennings said of the triumph over Mountain View. “We had three hits and they had four.”

           Belton-Honea Path got the game’s only run in the top of the fifth inning. Carsen Foster led off with a double and Ari Willbanks put down a sacrifice bunt to move her to third. Foster came home on an Addi Vaughn sacrifice fly.

           Mountain View didn’t go quietly, but the Bears rose to the occasion defensively.

           Vaughn, the BHP pitcher, walked the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the seventh. She then gave up a hit before the Stars used a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third.

           The next batter followed with a fly ball to center field that Madi Boggs pulled in for the second out. The runner on third tagged up, but Boggs’ throw to the plate was on the money and the runner was tagged out for the game-ending double play.

           Vaughn went the distance on the mound, striking out five.

           Belton-Honea Path won the state title in 2024 and played for it again last year. However, Jennings said the Bears were not looking down the road to any scenario like that at this point.

           “We are just focused on getting back to practice and trying to get ready for the next game,” he said. “Our kids know we have to compete every day to have a chance to be successful.”

           Mountain View is the only non-Region 1 team in the upper state tournament. Crescent, which finished second in the region, beat champion West-Oak 13-10 in the other opening game.

           West-Oak swept Belton-Honea Path during the regular season and split with Crescent to go 7-1 in the region. Crescent and BHP split their regular-season contests, leaving Crescent at 6-2 and BHP at 5-3.