Game 1 of York and Gray’s 4A state championship softball series delayed by rain
York senior Sullivan Littleton makes the catch at first base against Gray Collegiate.
By WORTHY EVANS
Contributing Writer
Columbia - With the Gray Collegiate softball team down 2-1 in the first game of the 4A state championship series Tuesday night, the War Eagles came to bat in the bottom of the seventh with the hopes of stringing a couple of hits together and overcoming York ace pitcher and 4A All-State selection Layla Clayton.
But as leadoff batter Elizabeth Robinson faced a 1-1 count a light thunderstorm arrived and soaked the infield of the Gray softball field in short order.
That storm passed, but a much larger system approached the Lexington-Columbia area, and Gray head coach Doug Frye and York coach Danny Mazzell decided to finish the game Wednesday.
As of Tuesday night the teams have two options: Coach Mazzell was going to inspect the York softball field, the infield of which was covered with a tarp but the outfield had a tendency to get saturated. If his field is playable, Gray and York would finish the bottom of the seventh inning at York, then move on to play game two of the best-of-three series Wednesday.
If the Cougars field is not playable, York would return to Gray Collegiate Wednesday night and finish game one, and push game two to Thursday.
Coach Mazzell said he would know by noon which of the options would be in play. Once the game was set for York, Coach Mazzell told the HSSR, after the game, "it was a real community effort to get our field ready, we even had the grounds crew from Clover HS coming to help."
As for his team’s fortunes on the field, he’s got a good feeling with Clayton still in the circle. Clayton 3-hit the War Eagles through six innings, striking out five and walking two.
“She’s a good ball player, and our pitching has carried us all year and you can see that tonight,” Mazzell said. “Clayton is a phenomenal pitcher, but Gray is a great team, and they’ve got some good sticks in the lineup. We’ll try to pitch around some of them. We’re looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully we can get it in.”
Frye said the action came to a stop right when Gray’s batting order would make a comeback possible.
“The girls have done a good job but we haven’t hit the ball the way we’re capable of hitting and we made a few mistakes,” he said. “We’ve got where we want to be, with our 8, 9, and 1 (hitters in the lineup). If we can get the 8 or 9 (Robinson and Braeylyn Triplett) on base, we’re at 1-2 (4A All-State selection Aspen Boulware and Kaylan Boudreau), where we want to be.”
Gray Collegiate (30-2) took a 1-0 lead with one out in the bottom of the second inning. Makensie Sease reached base on an error and courtesy runner Anna Boyd took her place at first. Boyd moved to second base on Na’Veah Matthews’ ground out. After Peyton Hendrix drew a walk, Boyd scored on Maliah Wright’s infield single.
The War Eagles could have gotten more runs, as Hendrix moved to third on Wright’s base hit. Wright stole second as Robinson batted to put runners at second and third.
Robinson hit a short fly ball to left field and Hendrix tagged up, but York leftfielder Arial Matheson fired the ball back to the infield and got Hendrix out at the plate for an inning-ending double play.
The Cougars (24-3) put two quick runs on the board in the top of the third. Sullivan Littleton led off with a walk, and Kayla Johnson nailed an 0-2 pitch over the leftfield fence for a home run.
York took its 2-1 lead almost through the seventh inning before the downpour ended the evening.
Clayton had a lot to do with that fact, Frye said.
“We couldn’t get a big hit. Part of the game,” Frye said. “You gotta give the little girl credit, she’s pitched a good game. She’s moved the ball out, in, and up, and we just haven’t hit the ball.”
Besides Johnson’s home run, Sease blanked the Cougars, scattering six hits and striking out 10.
She got into a jam in the seventh when Johnson and Peyton Brooms hit back-to-back singles after Sease struck out the first two batters. She recovered her stuff and sat down Natalie Dover on strikes to retire the side and set up Gray’s final chance to overcome York’s lead.
On Wednesday, the two teams met at YCHS sports complex to finish the bottom half of the 7th to complete game one. The half inning wasn't the reset the War Eagles needed as the were unable to score and the game ended with York securing their game one win.
After a short break, the teams rolled right into game two of the series.
York Comprehensive 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 – 2 6 1
Gray Collegiate 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 1 3 1
