East Clarendon holds off Saluda 5-3 to win AA softball state championship

Saluda – On Saturday night at Saluda High School, a standing room only crowd saw East Clarendon

claim its third softball state championship with a 5-3 win over Saluda to sweep the best-of-3 AA

championship series 2-0.

“I am so proud of these girls," said EC head coach Jason Newsome. "It all started back in October. We

had great offseason workouts in October, and January the girls really bought in to what we wanted to do. You

can ask the girls and they will tell you how hard they worked this year. It is very gratifying to see all that hard

work pay off.”

Winning Lady Wolverines pitcher Lakelyn Gaskins said, “It feels wonderful to be state champs. The last

time we won was 2017 so it feels good to win another championship.”

It was a bittersweet ending for the Tigers of Saluda as they ended the season at 23-6-1. However, it was

the best season in school history with a region championship, upper state championship and a runner-up

finish. Along the way,p they had a 17-game winning streak after starting the year 0-3-1.

SHS ead Coach Hannah Towery  said, “I told the girls they have nothing to hang their heads on. We

made history this year. No one thought we’d be here with such a young team. This is the first ever trophy

that softball has put in the trophy case. I told our seniors to keep their heads u0, and for the younger girls

this is something they will have to remember, this feeling, and learn from it and try and beat this goal.”

Freshman Miller Martin  got the start in the circle for Saluda and got the first batter to fly out to

center field. Gaskins stepped into the batter's box and tripled to right. Right fielder Ashlyn Vereen  made a

great effort to catch the ball, but it was just out of her reach.

EC’s Zoey Culick came up next and laid down a beautiful bunt that scored Gaskins with the first

run of the game. Culick advanced to third on a wild pitch and an error. After an out and a walk, the

Lady Wolverines had runners on second and third with two outs when Addison Fleming came to

bat. Fleming bunted toward second base and beat the throw to first while also driving in Culick

from third base for a 2-0 lead.

“I could not have drawn up the first inning any better if I tried,” said Newsome. “Our

game plan all year has been to get out of the gate really quickly and make our opponents chase

us down.”

Staked with a 2-0 lead, Gaskin’s set down the Tigers in order in the first two innings, striking out

five of the first six batters she faced. Meanwhile, Martin settled down in the circle after the rough start

and keep the Lady Wolverines off the scoreboard over the next three innings.

In the third, the Tigers were able to scratch across a run. Amy Sorcia  led off the inning with a

walk and went to second on a passed ball. Gaskins seemed to get back on track after striking out

the next two hitters, but then the Tigers' Nyla Jordan  ripped a double in the left-center gap to drive in

Sorcia with the Tigers' first run of the game.

After Gaskins walked Martin, she got Karen Almarez to fly out to second for the final out of the

inning. The Lady Wolverines led 2-1 after three innings.

From the third inning on the game became a pitchers duel as both Martin and Gaskins were in

control of the game.

The Lady Wolverines were able to score another run in the fifth when Chloe Goff led off the inning

with a walk. She moved to second on a sacrifice by Gaskins. Then Culick picked up her secondRBI of the

game when she singled in Goff and the Lady Wolverines' lead was 3-1.

The Tigers threatened in the sixth when Ava Martin walked and Sorcia singled, putting runners on

first and second with two outs. However, Gaskins struck out the next hitter to end the threat.

Leading 3-1 entering the seventh inning, EC's Bailey Hicks  led off the inning with a single but was

out at second on a fielder’s choice, leaving Gaskins on first. Culick had her third hit of the game, putting

runners on first and second.

Miller Martin then came up with a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but there were still two

runners on base when Lake Jeffords stepped into the box. She ripped a single to left, driving in Gaskins.

Then Fleming hit a bloop single over third base, driving in Culick for her secondRBI of the game and a 5-1

lead heading into the home half of the seventh.

EC’s Gaskins got the first two batters out, one with her 11th strike out of the game, but then an error

allowed Miller Martin to reach first bringing up Almarez. On a full count, she hit the payoff pitch over the

right field fence and just like that the Tigers cut the lead to two at 5-3.

“That home run is all on me,” said Newsome. “We were on a bad count. We had thrown the same

pitch three times in a row. I thought we could sneak it by her. She made us pay.”

Gaskins got Jayme Sheaffer to fly out to center to end the game and the celebration began.

“This team never gives up and never gives in. They always fight and scrap until the very end,”

said Towery.

Gaskins finished the game with 11 strikeoutswhile walking four and allowing just four hits. Miller Martin

struck out nine, five in the last two innings. She walked two and gave up 10 hits.

Leading the way at the plate for the Lady Wolverines was Culick, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Payton

Hanniford went 2-for-4 and Fleming was 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Saluda was led by Almarez, who was 1-for-4 with two RBI off the round-tripper.