Eliason havng dominant season in the cicle for West Florence softball team
South Florence having another strong softball season
Florence – It has been said if a softball team possesses a dominant pitcher in the circle, it can be a very, very, very good team.
West Florence High School has a very, very, very good softball team.
The Knights have senior Annie Ruth Eliason pitching, and she is having a phenomenal year. Eliason, the only senior on the roster, has victories in 16 of their 17 games and had yet to allow an earned run. She had faced 247 batters, striking out 189 of them while walking just eight. Opponents owned a .051 batting average against her.
“Annie Ruth's composure on the mound this season has been incredible,” said Wayne Locklair, who is in his second year as head coach after serving six years as an assistant. “She has been able to throw all of her pitches with tremendous control, having only eight walks. She has worked very hard to get where she is at, and she is also our team mentor to the younger players.”
Eliason is third in the batting order. Centerfielder Bayleigh Honeycutt and shortstop Paityn Daniels bat in front of her while third baseman Anniston Kirshy bats behind her as the cleanup hitter.
Catcher Hannah Marsik hits fifth followed by second baseman Ashley Moody, rightfielder Hannah Grace Duke, first baseman Jayde Perugini and leftfielder Tolsyn Lynch.
Daniels was leading the team in hitting with a .486 batting average and an on-base percentage of .604. Honeycutt, an eighth-grader, was hitting .467, Marsik was at .459 with three home runs, and Eliason was at .410 with three homers and 15 runs batted in. Moody, another eighth-grader, was hitting .341.
Despite starting two eighth-graders and sometimes three freshmen, Locklair is happy with the way his team is handling the pressure of being undefeated.
“Surprisingly, the team is handling success very well,” said Locklair, whose squad was leading Region 5-AAAAA with a 6-0 record. “We work very hard on trying to keep them humble. I have noticed the players being very respectful to our opponents, which is a quality trait.”
SOUTH FLORENCE SOFTBALL
Despite losing AAAA All-State pitcher Payton Perry to graduation, South Florence was off to another strong start. The Bruins were 11-3 overall and 6-1 in Region 5, good for a tie for second with Hartsville with both teams trailing undefeated Darlington.
Senior catcher Ryleigh Hux is back for the Bruins after an outstanding junior season. Also back are junior Blakely Blue, junior Ava Black, freshman Page White and freshman Rylie Rowsey.
WILSON SOFTBALL
Wilson is a region foe for South Florence, and the Tigers were 7-5 overall and 4-4 in region play.
Senior Zoey Miller was having a huge season. She was batting .690 with three doubles, four triples, four homers, 24 runs scored and 14 RBI.
Wilson was hitting .427 as a team. Senior Martina Taylor was hitting .600, senior Kayla Carroway .469, junior Sakura Jordan .455 and junior.452.
WEST FLORENCE BASEBALL
The Knights started with a 9-6 overall record and were winless in their first four region contests.
Carson Haynes was the leading hitter with a .391 average and a team high 20 RBI along with two homers. Newt Hinson was batting .342 with a team high four homers, and Avery Weaver was batting .385 with two homers.
Weaver has been strong on the mound as well. He had a 2.84 ERA in a team high 32 innings.
SOUTH FLORENCE BASEBALL
The South Florence baseball team was 12-7 overall, but 6-0 in Region 5. That was good for a tie for first with Hartsville.
Senior Christian Hickson was leading the offense with a .447 average and a team high 18 runs. Senior Manning Hatchell was batting was batting .391, and senior Khalon McKee was batting .295 with a team high 18 RBI.
The pitching staff was led by senior Kellin Croshaw and eighth-grader Gavin Jordan. Croshaw had a 3-0 record, a 1.75 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 24 innings. Jordan was 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.
WILSON BASEBALL
The Tigers were just 7-10 overall but owned a 4-2 mark in region play.
Mark Law was the leading hitter at .478 to go with a team high 15 RBI. Cruz Freeman was batting .417, Jayden Buntin was at .345 and Kingston Cooper was hitting .333 with a team high 21 runs.
Law was the top pitcher with a 3-2 record, a 1.95 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings.
