NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC – Lumberton rolled to the Dixie Belles Softball World Series Championship Friday morning with a 14-2 victory over Virginia in the title game.
Three West Bladen softball players – Conner Brisson, Carley Dawson and Abby Dawson – are members of the Lumberton team.
Lumberton took control of the game with 7 first-inning runs. Morgan Britt ripped a one-out triple into the leftfield corner, and JaiLeana Deese hammered a triple to deep left-centerfield that scored Britt.
Carley Dawson beat out an infield hit that scored Deese, and Katie Kinlaw smacked a single to centerfield. Erin Maynor walked, Carley Dawson sprinted home on a wild pitch, and Katlyn Jones walked to load the bases.
Kasey West ripped a liner that the thirdbaseman knocked down, then picked up in time to force-out Kinlaw at the plate. Nykyra Mitchell was hit by a pitch that forced home Maynor.
Brisson drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Jones, and Abby Dawson laced a single to left-centerfield that scored West and Mitchell.
Two hits and an error produced a Virginia run in the second inning.
Morgan Hatchell cracked a one-out single in the Lumberton second. Britt raked a single through the left side, and Deese was hit by a pitch. Hatchell darted home on an errant pick-off attempt to stretch the lead to 8-1.
Lumberton tacked on 2 more runs in the third inning to pad the lead to 10-1. Maynor walked, Jones was hit by a pitch, and West beat out a bunt single to load the bases. The Virginia catcher threw the ball away trying to pick West off of first base, and when the rightfielder bobbled the ball, both Maynor and Jones raced home.
Virginia scored their final run in the fourth inning on an error, a single and 2 wild pitches. Lumberton pitcher Madison Collins snared a line drive and doubled a runner off second to halt the rally.
In the home fourth, Abby Dawson, Collins, Hatchell and Britt drew walks that forced home Abby Dawson. After Deese’s fielder’s choice forced out Collins at the plate, Carley Dawson and Kinlaw drew walks that scored Hatchell and Britt. Jones’ infield hit scored Deese to push the lead to 14-2.
Britt, the fourth Lumberton pitcher, pitched a 1-2-3 fifth with 2 strike-outs to close out the game on the mercy rule.
Hatchell pitched the first 2 innings to pick up the victory and allowed an unearned run on 2 hits and a walk, while striking out two. Deese walked 2 while pitching a scoreless, hitless third inning. Collins allowed an unearned run on one hit in the fourth.
Secondbaseman Britt’s diving catch of a bloop in the second inning was the defensive gem of the game for Lumberton.
Britt batted 2-2 with a triple, a run batted in and 2 runs scored. Deese smashed the rbi triple and scored twice. Abby Dawson delivered the 2-run single and scored a run.
Hatchell, Carley Dawson, Kinlaw, Jones and West connected for one hit each. Carley Dawson drove in 2 runs, and Kinlaw, Jones, Mitchell and Brisson had one rbi each.
Hatchell, Maynor and Jones scored 2 runs each, and Carley Dawson, West and Mitchell scored one run each.
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