Hannah-Pamplico edges Whitmire 4-3 to earn Class A softball state title

Pamplico -- Home teams from rural areas in South Carolina seem to always celebrate state championships a little longer after the hard-fought battle is over. That was the case in Hannah-Pamplico High School’s highly competitive 4-3 win over Whitmire in Game 2 of the the Class A softball state championship series on Friday that gave it the state title.

It was the Lady Raiders’ second state title since 2023 under head coach Amber Knight. Knight first complimented the Whitmire team.

“This was the first time Whitmire had ever made it to the finals in girls softball, and they are an incredible team, and I extend all the props to them and their fans,” said Knight. “They will deserve one down the road.”

Turning to her own team, Knight talked about the four seniors who started in the game who also played in the 2023 state title game. They are catcher Meredith Stone, headed to USC Upstate, pitcher Kadence Poston, headed to Western Carolina, along with shortstop Chloe Cooper, and centerfielder Savannah Owens.

“These are my babies and the glue of our team,” said Knight. “We also have a phenomenal junior (Allie Owens) batting leadoff for us, and quite frankly, our third baseman (London Lee) has struggled at the plate, but she got the hit for us that won the ball game tonight.

“Our defense is what held us together in the game,” said Knight. “It took us a while to get started hitting-wise, but making several pivotal plays in the game on defense was crucial to our win. Meredith was chosen the Class A Player of the Year for a reason. She made a great tag at the plate to save one run, and she saved another run with the bases loaded by turning a double play back to first, after she got the force at home plate.

“She (Stone) is an incredible softball player and we will miss her,” said Knight. “I was looking at her stats yesterday and she was batting over .400 with 35 hits.”

Knight said the battery of Poston and Stone will be hard to replace going into next season.

“Kadence is such a battler in the circle, and she and Merdedith have been teammates for five or six seasons, and it will be hard to replace their talent and leadership,” said Knight. “They both have promising futures in the sport.”

Stone and Poston will represent the Lady Raiders in the upcoming annual North-South All-Star Game. Poston was also named to the Class A All-State team. Stone and Poston were All-Region players along with Cooper and Lee.

In the team huddle prior to the game, Knight said she issued this charge to her team.

“I told them to not to make the ball game bigger than it is,” she said. “It’s our nine girls against their nine girls, and we are at home, with our fans, so do not make anything bigger than it is. Have fun and leave it all on the field.”

High School Sports Report conducted a joint interview with Stone and Poston after the game.

“We have been a pitcher-catcher combination since the sixth or seventh grade,” said Stone. “We communicate with each other very well during games, and for us to both go out with a state championship is very special.”

Stone was asked about her remarkable double play that probably saved the game for her team.

“I knew I had a force at the plate, and I was just waiting for the ball from AJ to come home as quick as possible, and I knew I had an opportunity to throw back to first and I had to take it,” said Stone.

The double play ended what had looked like a potential big inning for Whitmire.

Poston said she never worries about the various strike zones she encounters from game to game.

“You can only control what you can control so we stay focused and keep doing what we can do,” she said. “It was so great to be a part of our school’s first state championship in any sport back in 2023. This one means even more, being a senior. It is a memory I will have for the rest of my life.”

Stone concluded, “Standing here as a senior, this second state championship means the world to me,” she said. “This also shows just how much our community cares and I am just so happy right now.”

Stone and Poston said they were grateful to be able to play the sport they love at the next level.

“I am just going to keep on working hard and do what I can to contribute on the field,” said Stone.

Poston added, “My biggest goal is to keep improving and to get to pitch a few innings as a freshman and to also do well in the academic area,” said Poston.

After the game, Whitmire head coach Andrew Campbell was upbeat about the future of his young team. “We will have 13 of 15 players back for next season, and our two seniors were contributors, but not starters,” he said. “I just told the girls that it was an honor for them to be the first team from Whitmire to ever play for the state title. We lost two very competitive games by one run (4-3 both times).

“I am so proud of these girls,” said Campbell. “They’ve accomplished something we have never accomplished in Whitmire softball history. They did not lay down in either game. They kept fighting and I love them all.”

The team’s five All-Region candidates, when they are officially announced in a few days, are expected to be junior centerfielder Chole Hix, sophomore shortstop Autumn Gilliam, junior pitcher Kenleigh Epps, sophomore catcher Alleigh Corley, and freshman third baseman Ariana Jenkins.

With the score tied 3-3, H-P came to bat in the bottom of the seventh. Owens led off with a walk. Poston crushed a single to advance Owens to second. Stone’s fly out to center advanced Owens to third base. Cooper was intentionally walked. Then Lee singled to center, scoring Owens for the walk-off 4-3 win.

For the game, H-P collected eight hits. Poston, Stone, and Lee each had two hits. Leftfielder Alexa Wenger and Kaylie Avant contributed one hit each.

In the circle, Poston worked all seven innings, giving up nine hits and one earned run while compiling seven strikeouts.

Whitmire was led at the plate by Gilliam with two hits and one RBI. Epps also had two hits. Corley joined five other Wolverine hitters with one hit each. The others were leftfielder Holly Robertson, first baseman Raylin Vicars, rightfielder Brielle Whitmire and sophomore infielder Kinsley Hood.