Homers drive Gray to 4A state championship; third title in four years
By WORTHY EVANS
Contributing Writer
Columbia - The Gray Collegiate Academy softball bats overcame the solid pitching of York Comprehensive in a 5-2 victory in the third and deciding game of the 4A softball state championship series Saturday, and the War Eagles now have a 4A state championship to go along with 2A crowns the team won in 2022 and 2024.
Leadoff batter and home run champ Aspen Boulware got the team started in the first inning with a solo home run, her 22nd of the year, while seniors Maddox Long and Kayley Anderson delivered 2-run shots in the fourth and fifth innings.
Long started the game in the circle for the War Eagles (32-3) and gave up the Cougars’ only two runs, one apiece in the second and third innings. Makenzie Sease came on in relief to pitch four innings of 1-hit ball to claim the win. Both pitchers struck out three apiece.
“They work so hard. People wouldn’t believe how hard these kids work,” Gray Collegiate head coach Doug Frye said. “There ain’t that many teams that can outwork us. They may beat us, but they don’t outwork us. We lose, we come back and get better. We’re done today, and I’ll bet half these kids will be practicing tomorrow, trying to get better. They’re hungry for it.”
The War Eagles got on the scoreboard early with Boulware’s longball in the first inning.
York (25-5) senior and Erskine signee Layla Clayton singled in A.C. Lingerfelt with one out in the second. Long struck out Emma Farrell and got Sullivan Littleton to pop out to end the inning.
The Cougars took a 2-1 lead off of Marisa Reyes’ one-out solo home run in the third, but that was all the runs York could get across. Long got Natalie Dover and Lingerfelt to pop out to retire the side.
“I thought we’d be fine,” Frye said. “We’re just waiting for the right pitch. (York starter Peyton Brooks) threw a good breaking ball off the plate, and we worked hard on trying to go with the pitch, being patient and don’t chase things. 2-1 you’re always in the game.”
Gray showed that were very much in the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, when they got to Brooks.
Sease led off that inning with a single to leftfield and promptly came home on Lane’s 2-run homer that soared over the fence in left and gave the War Eagles a 3-2 lead.
“I knew it was my time to step up for the team,” said Long, who will attend Charleston Southern as a student in the fall. “I just went up to the plate and did what I was supposed to do. It always feels better when the bats are moving. It helps us when we have a little bit of runs, makes us feel a little bit better.”
With no one out, Anderson singled after Long’s homer, which brought Brooks’ time in the circle to an end in favor of York’s ace, Clayton. Clayton, who threw 209 pitches in games one and two for the Cougars, gave up Maliah Wright’s bunt single, but managed to get out of the jam with outs attributed to Elizabeth Robinson’s sacrifice bunt, Braelyn Triplett’s pop fly, and Kaylan Boudreau’s inning-ending fielder’s choice.
Clayton and the Cougars weren’t so fortunate in the fifth inning. With one out, Sease singled and put her courtesy runner, Madison Bumgarner, at first. Gracie Porter bunt sacrificed Bumgarner to second, and Anderson took her the rest of the way on a high 2-out home run that skimmed the fence in centerfield before it went over.
“It was a great feeling to know that my team had already put up the runs and we were ahead,” said Anderson, who will play for Converse College in the fall. “But just to add to that was really cool, and to know that they were behind me was a really cool feeling.”
After that homer the Gray lineup livened up significantly, as three-run leads with two innings left to play tend to do.
“It was really great, we all worked together,” said Boulware, who had just one hit on the afternoon but was intentionally walked and reached base three times on walks and being hit. “I feel like we hit a lot better in this game compared to the other two games, I was glad we were able to string our hits together.”
Boulware added about Anderson, “The energy she brings to the team is great, and on top of that she hit a home run. I was so glad she got to finish off her career with a home run, so that’s really great.”
Sease closed out York’s sixth and seventh innings in quick fashion. She needed just six pitches to get three outs in the sixth, and fourteen pitches in the seventh. Eleven of those pitches were to Brooks, who with two out fouled off five pitches on a full count before going down on a called strike three to end the game.
“I can’t believe it. I’m shocked but I knew we could do it,” Sease said. “I don’t know how to feel right now. Those last pitches I was just focusing and trying not to get too excited, to stay calm and focused.”
The Cougars gave Gray Collegiate everything they had and came close to reaching the state crown, but second place is not something to be sad about, York head coach Danny Mazell said.
“Cherish the moment, because it’s hard to get there,” Mazzell said. “I don’t care if it’s softball, baseball, basketball, football, it’s hard to get to the state finals. We were in the state finals and we were the No.2 best team in the state.”
Mazell added, “No excuses, they beat us. And you’ve got to make the fundamental plays. I think we had four errors in this game and one of those errors they capitalized on it. But I’m excited for these girls and what’s coming up next year. I’ll miss Layla Clayton, her ERA’s probably the best in the state in all classifications (0.62 in 20 appearances). She’s going to the next level and it’s up to our girls to pick it up.”
Frye said that Gray Collegiate’s seniors made game 3 a treat, and will give the returning teammates something to remember as they get back to work for the 2026 season.
“The best thing was the seniors and they were going out with their last at-bats as a home runs, that’s pretty impressive,” Frye said.
“Boulware, she’s just special anyway, she got probably 35 intentional walks this year because she’s hit like 22 home runs this year. She’s just special kid, a special player.”
On Anderson’s tension-breaking homer in the fifth inning, Frye added “She hit it good. It’s being disciplined and waiting on the pitch going with the pitch, don’t try to do too much with it, I think we did a good job of that today. We hit the ball pretty hard.”
Tuesday-Wednesday
Game One
York Comprehensive 002 000 0 – 2 6 1
Gray Collegiate 010 000 0 – 1 5 3
WP: Layla Clayton, 7 IP, 5H, 1R, 0ER, 3BB, 6K.
G – Kaylan Boudreau 2B. Y – Kayla Johnson 3-4, HR.
Wednesday
Game Two
Gray Collegiate 100 102 0 – 4 9 2
York Comprehensive 000 000 0 – 0 3 1
WP: Peyton Hendrix, 7 IP, 3H, 1BB, 8K.
G – Makenzie Sease 2-3. Peyton Hendrix 2-3, 2B. Aspen Boulware HR. Kaylan Boudreau 3B. Y – Peyton Broom 2B.
Friday
Game Three
York Comprehensive 011 000 0 – 2 4 4
Gray Collegiate 100 220 x – 5 7 0
WP: Makensie Sease, 4 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 3K.
Y – Marisa Reyes 2-3, HR. G – Kaley Anderson 2-3, HR, 2 RBI. Maliah Wright 2-3. Maddox Long HR, 2 RBI. Aspen Boulware HR.
