Clarendon Hall softball says goodbye to Wells, Harrington, Yount, Dymond
Senior quartet played in five straight championship series, winning three of them
Summerton – The hope of winning four consecutive state championships came to an end for the Clarendon Hall softball team with an 11-3 loss to Pee Dee Academy in the SCISA AAA state championship series.
Along with it came the end of the high school careers of four seniors who had been instrumental in helping the Lady Saints reach five consecutive state championship series, winning three. They are Mandy Wells, Calli Yount, Maggie Harrington and Skylar Dymond.
“All of these girls have been so instrumental in our success and will truly leave a void in our program, not just for what they have done on the field but by their leadership to our younger players,” said CH head coach Jeffrey Bays. “As the last out was made in the final game against Pee Dee, there were a lot of tears shed on the field, but they were not tears of defeat. Tears were shed because it was the last game these girls would play with each other.
“These girls had made such a bond with our younger girls as they became more than teammates. They became sisters. It was amazing to see how close this team became from seniors all the way to a seventh-grader.
“It’s going to be hard losing Skylar, Calli, Mandi and Maggs. They held everything down in the middle of the field.”
Dymond was the catcher, Yount the pitcher, Wells the shortstop and Harrington the centerfielder. All four were named to the All-Region 1 team along with freshman third baseman Brynli Brewer. Yount and Dymond were selected as the Co-Region Player of the Year. Wells and Yount had their numbers retired by Clarendon Hall.
Dymond had a .390 batting average to go along with an on-base percentage of .471. She had three doubles, three triples and 14 runs batted in.
“Skylar became one of the best catchers in SCISA and was as solid as you can get behind the plate,” Bays said. “Her bat came to life this year and was one of the top hitters in our lineup. She was our team MVP (most valuable player) this year and will really be missed.”
Yount batted .355 with an OBP of .397. She had five doubles, one triple, three home runs and 27 RBI. Iin the circle, she had a 10-4 win-loss record with 130 strikeouts against just 17 walks and an earned run average of 2.63.
“Losing Calli is going to be hard as she was our workhorse on the mound the last few years,” Bays said. “She had 453 strikeouts in her four years on the mound and was one of the most respected pitchers in SCISA. Not just because of how dominant she was, but she had one of the best attitudes of any ball player around, always carrying a smile on her face.”
Wells batted .382 with team highs in homers with seven, triples with four, RBI with 30 and runs scored with 32. She also had five doubles
“Mandy has been such a leader on our team since her freshman year,” Bays said. “She finished her career with a .507 batting average and had over 200 hits with 37 percent of her hits being for extra bases. She is one of the most clutch hitters I’ve ever coached. She always delivers that big hit the moment you need her to, winning many ball games for us.”
Harrington led the Lady Saints with a .443 average and an OBP of .541. She had a team high eight doubles to go with a triple, two homers, 18 RBI and 28 runs.
“Maggie is hands down the best outfielder I have ever coached.,” Bays said. “The girl can track a ball and has made many game-saving catches for us. She has been one of the top two hitters in our lineup in all five years that she played.”
Brewer batted .353 with doubles, a triple, two homers, 15 RBI and 26 runs.
