Laurence Manning Three-peats In SCISA AAAA Softball With * Inning 8-7 Win Over Pinewood Prep
Swampcats complete a three-peat in SCISA AAAA softball.
By Billy G. Baker
Publisher
Summerville — In the championship moment, with all the tension and pressure consuming her, Laurence Manning senior Lyza Prickelmyer, a grinder her whole life; showed up and converted her investment of hard work, and sheer sweat equity, into four hits, four RBI’s, (including a two-run homer), that led Laurence Manning Academy to a 8-7 win over Pinewood Prep, giving the Swampcats a three-peat in SCISA AAAA softball on May, 12.
At one point in the game, LMA trailed Pinewood Prep 5-0, before the team rallied behind the soft-spoken senior leadership of Prickelmyer, who honesty needs to change her mind about not wanting to play softball at the next level, especially after her superior performance against the Panthers in prime time.
With the game tied at 6, in the top of the 8th, International tie-breaking rules, placed a runner at second base to start the inning. Prickelmyer led off the inning and she talked about her at bat after the game with the HSSR. “It was a 3-2 full count, and honesty I came into the game with my hitting a little down, and my goal was to advance the runner and I didn’t want to walk,” she said. “I really wasn’t thinking much at all, but I had been lucky with some hits earlier in the game, and I just wanted to get a good look and not walk or strike-out.”
Prickelmyer’s hard level “quick wrist” swing, met the 62 miles per hour fast ball over the heart of the plate, and like a missile launching towards outer space, it only took seconds for the line drive ball to sail over the fence in dead center field as the large crowd of LMA fans went totally berserk in real time.
“Winning three straight state softball championships in a row had never been done at my school before,” said Prickelmyer. “I think the football team might have won three straight titles back in the 1970’s.
“This team is really close, and we have 9 seniors on the team, and we have been playing softball together since we were like six or seven years old,” said Prickelmayer. “We are like a sister hood and we all love each other. We made history together at our school and that is a wonderful feeling and memory for all of us to share.”
How such a talent like Prickelmyer could escape the evaluation of major college softball programs will remain a mystery to this writer of 50-plus years. “I have been offered recently by smaller colleges like USC Union and Florence Darlington Tech but I never really reached out to bigger colleges, and honesty I had not pursued playing in college until recently,” said Prickelmyer after the game.
Prickelmyer bats from the left side, has jail break speed as a center fielder, and also plays like a gold glove at first base. She has a career batting average of over .500. If she is not a major college softball prospect the sport should be disbanded by the NCAA immediately. For the season she batted .581 with 28 RBI’s, three homers and 13 stolen bases.
Pinewood Prep head coach Ben Snyder said this about Prickelmyer after playing against her for three games. “She is the best two strike hitter I’ve ever seen,” said Coach Snyder. “When she gets two strikes she adjusts everything she is doing in the batter’s box. It is quite impressive to observe. She has everything a college is looking for with her arm, glove, and bat. She is an elite center fielder and there is no doubt in my mind that she could play major college softball somewhere.”
After the game, LMA head coach Buddy Truett was both relieved and excited. “Earlier in the game I told the team we were leaving too many runners on base,” said Coach Truett. “I told them to put the ball in play, to get on top of the ball and make it bounce.”
Then with the game on the line, his senior veteran hit the bomb that will be talked about around Manning for a long time. “Isn’t that fitting,” said Coach Truett. “She’s special in all aspects of the game.
“Look, all these girls have worked hard and they deserve this championship and they never quit,” said Coach Truett. “I didn’t want to put any pressure on them earlier in the game but I told them to keep after it, because we were just one hit away from blowing the game open. I told them to believe in themselves and keep going.
“All our state titles have been special, but this one, with 9 seniors who have been together for years now; I am just so happy for them,” said Coach Truett. “This one is really special.”
On the bus ride down to the game, Coach Truett talked about the strategy for game two, after LMA’s 6-4 win at home on Monday. “We were going to do pretty much do the same thing which was to keep number 10 (Pinewood Prep freshman star Morgan Everitt) out of the game at the plate, and having won game one we felt like the pressure would be more on them because we had another game to work with if needed.”
So many high fives should be extended to the Pinewood Prep (27-2) program which re-started a varsity softball team after a few seasons of non-play. The team was comprised of four 7th graders (three started), two 8th graders, three 9th graders, two sophomores, two juniors and no seniors. In fact, up into late into the Fall, the school was focused on just having a junior varsity team, but as more interest grew a decision was made to have a varsity team.
The Panthers are head coached by Ben Snyder who had spent the past 20 years as an assistant varsity basketball coach at Summerville High. Coach Snyder had a connection with softball by being a summer travel team coach the past few years. “We are so proud of our girls and I just told them in our huddle talk how much they mean to coaching staff and to the school for the success they had as a first-year program,” said Coach Snyder. “The loss does not hurt. What hurts is that we do not get to practice tomorrow, or to keep being together at practices or games. This will be the hardest part.
“I congratulate Laurence Manning,” said Coach Snyder. “They have been here and done that before and they have a solid group of 9 seniors. I give all the credit in the world to them.
“On the other hand, my team has a bright future and we are already looking forward to next season,” said Coach Snyder. “We ill continue to build the team around our freshman pitcher Morgan Everitt (5-11) and the sky is the limit for her. She is already hitting 63 miles per hour with her fast ball and she is an incredible power hitter. After she went hit a three- run home run in Sumter the other day (against LMA) they never pitched to her again.”
Everitt finished the regular season with 104 K’s in 50.1 innings of work with an ERA of 0.95. She hit .458 with three home runs and she scored 26 runs.
Pinewood started two juniors in game two, Elizabeth Ellis in left-field and Ally Flaherty started for the first time all year in right field. Seventh grade outfielder Alexis Buso is a rising star in her own right. She went 4-of-5 against LMA in game two with a home run and three RBI’s. During the regular season Buso hit .532 with three homers and 36 runs scored during the regular season.
“I think you could look at our entire team and say the sky is the limit for all of them, because they are just now coming into their own,” said Coach Snyder. “We are trying to create a culture that stresses enthusiasm and a togetherness while also allowing the girls to be themselves. I stress to them to never lose having fun playing the game. I told them that at the end of the day softball is just a game and that the sun will shine tomorrow regardless.”
The team’s other two 7th grade starters are Sarah Grace Wickersham (batted .611) who starts at shortstop and she had two hits in game two. Sofia Reed (batted .553) is a 7th grader starting at catcher. Oddly enough, Pinewood Prep starting first baseman Juliet Sussman (batted ,486) missed the game due to a wedding. She was replaced in the line-up by DP Claire Ellis.
Pinewood soph third baseman Makayla Sullivan (batted .456) had two RBI’s in game two while 8th grade first baseman Kensley Gibbs (batted .580) had two hits and four RBI’s in game two. Freshman Grace Snyder (batted .420) started at second base for the Panthers. Freshman LF Lacey Elis batted .396 during the regular season.
In the circle, Pinewood’s Everitt allowed 8 hits, three earned runs, and had 9 strike-outs in game two.
In game two LMA had 8 hits with Prickelmyer leading the way with four hits and 4 RBI’s. Left fielder Marlee Black had two hits in game two, and during the season she batted .418 with 15 RBI’s. Shortstop Ashley Rae Hodge had a hit in game two and for the season she hit .429 with a team leading 32 RBI’s. Third baseman Lily Welborn had two hits and one RBI in game two and for the season she hit .380 with 19 RBI’s.
Other top hitters for LMA during the season were pitcher Kendall Tanner who hit .310 with 8 RBI’s. Right fielder Maggie Welch hit .295 with 8 RBI’s. Second baseman Caroline Welch hit .375 with 19 RBI’s.
In game two Tanner and Avery Floyd teamed up to pitch for LMA. Tanner allowed three hits one K in just over two innings of circle duty. Floyd, a 7th grader, worked 5.1 innings, allowed five hits and had two K’s with two earned runs allowed.
The main two pitchers during the season for LMA were Caroline Welch (6-2) who pitched 58.2 innings with 27 K’s with an ERA of 2.86 along with Tanner who worked 49.1 innings with a 3.26 ERA with a 5-2 record.
Coach Snyder is assisted by Ashleigh Garrett, Samantha Horner, Chuck Jehle, and Stephen Oleary.
Coach Truett is assisted by Lisa Ard, Lance Welch, Amy Marshall and Colin Floyd.
