Green Wave is undefeated on the softball diamond
Summerville's Ansley Bennett
Green Wave is undefeated on the softball diamond
By Roger Lee
Summerville – The winning streak of the Summerville Softball team was put to the test last week.
The Green Wave is surfing a 68-game winning streak. The team’s last loss came to Byrnes during the 2023 season.
“They have been playing great,” said Summerville coach Heather Tucker. “We’ve had some region games and went over to James Island, the new team in the region, and got a win. I’m proud of them and we are just taking it one game at a time and focusing on the next opponent.”
The two-time defending state champion had to fight for its latest victory. The Wave hosted Aynor April 11 and the game was scoreless after 6.5 innings.
Summerville’s Katie Guilliam, Ansley Bennett and Melanie Edwards all received a base on balls to load the bases in the bottom of the seventh. Freshman Maeven Moreno came to the plate and battled to a full count. She then hit a ball into the outfield for the game-winning single to keep the streak alive.
“They believe in each other and they just keep finding a way to win,” Tucker said.
Bennett, a senior, had the complete-game shutout in the circle to bump her pitching record for the season up to 8-0. Hope Chase is 6-0 in the circle this season and Daphne Frady is 4-0.
Guilliam is leading the team at the plate with a .593 batting average and .656 on-base percentage with 4 homeruns, 9 doubles and 2 triples. Moreno has a .447 batting average and .527 on-base percentage with 6 doubles. Frady has a .442 batting average and .510 on-base percentage with 2 doubles.
Guilliam leads in RBIs with 23, followed by Bennett (21) and Edwards (17).
The squad returned seven varsity lettermen this season and added six new players. Six of the returners were starters last season and the other started some games and played in many others.
Summerville lost key players at second base and third base. However, Moreno and Frady have help out with that. Senior Abby Driscoll is back behind the plate. Bennett, Chase, Edwards and Guilliam also all have starting experience in the dirt.
Junior Jayden Bennett is the sole starter returning in the outfield. Looking to fill the other two outfield positions, as well as help out in other ways, are juniors Ryanne Harley and Brintley Parker and sophomores Gracelyn Cantrell, Summer Knight and Haylee Sexton.
The team, ranked first by the HSSR for 5A, Division 1, is 18-0 this season with a 3-0 mark in 5A Region 8.
Summerville Baseball
The Summerville Baseball team, ranked fifth by the HSSR for 5A, Division 1, is 12-3 on the season with a 5-4 mark in 5A Region 8.
Summerville won its three-game series against Stall 3-0 and topped cross-town rival Ashley Ridge in two out of three games. However, the Green Wave dropped three region games to James Island, which is ranked second for 5A, Division 1.
“We got off to a really hot start but then against James Island we lost Game 1,” Summerville coach Thane Maness said. “We had a chance to come back in the end but then the rain came. That’s a bad way to end a game. We battled in Game 2 but then didn’t pitch well in Game 3.”
The home team was triumphant in all three games of Summerville’s latest series. The Green Wave claimed a 2-1 win at Green Wave Park April 8 and a 2-0 home victory April 11. Ashley Ridge claimed a 4-3 win April 9 in The Swamp.
Game 1 was a playoff-caliber pitchers’ duel.
Summerville’s Jayce Stone and Aiden Vorlick combined for a two hitter. Stone threw five-plus innings, striking out eight batters and allowing only two hits, both doubles. Vorlick closed the game out and fanned one batter while allowing only one base runner, which he hit with a pitch.
Both teams only managed three hits during the series finale. Vorlick went the distance on the mound, striking out four batters and only allowing five base runners.
In the bottom of the first, Banks Knight walked for the Green Wave. He stole second and moved to third when the throw to second sailed into the outfield. Senior Drew Hayes laid down a sacrifice bunt to push him home for the game-winning run.
Cody Landis got things going for the Green Wave in the bottom of the third with a walk. He moved over on a sacrifice bunt by Knight and scored off a single by Hayes for the 2-0 lead. Chase Lewis and Cooper Hughie also had a single for Summerville.
