FAIRLEA, WV- The Greenbrier East Spartans did not want the softball team to be the only team headed to regionals.
And after an undefeated sectional run, the girls will have some company.
East defeated the Princeton Tigers 13-7 on Friday, May 12 to win the Region 3, Section 2 championship in front of a huge crowd at Spartan Yards in Fairlea. The Spartans will now play an “if necessary” 3-game series in the regional championship with a state tournament berth on the line.
The Spartans used a 7-run sixth inning that turned a 6-4 contest into a runaway blowout.
The Tigers, who were shutout by the Spartans in the previous two meetings, used a solid first inning to get on the board first. Two singles and a hit by pitch set up an RBI single by Lucas Molloghan of East pitcher Gabe Patton to put Princeton up 1-0 early.
That score remained the same until the Spartans (17-16) bats came to life in the third inning. Patton and Peyton DeHaven opened with consecutive walks, then a couple batters later, Ashton Cochran hit an RBI single that scored Patton and DeHaven also scored on throw back in.
A quick 1-2-3 inning ensued after and the Spartans picked up a little more insurance in their next at-bat as well when DeHaven knocked in Patton, who was on with a double, and East led 4-1. It went to 5-1 when Ian Cline scored on a passed ball.
Princeton trimmed the deficit to 5-3 on a couple unearned runs in the fifth, but the Spartans got one of those back in the following offensive inning. Clayton Morgan doubled then later in the frame came around to score on an error that was put in play by Patton. At that point, it was 6-3 Spartans.
The Tigers scored a run in the top half of the sixth, but the bottom of the inning ended the game for East, and the inning seemed to last as long as the previous five frames combined. Ian Cline led off with a single and then stole second quickly. Cochran followed with a double off the right field fence for a 7-4 Spartan lead. Boswell scored Cochran on an RBI single, which led to Zion Detko reaching on a fielding error that another run scored as a result. East added four more extra insurance runs without getting a hit the rest of the way.
Princeton scored three runs in their final plate appearance of the season, but the runs were totally harmless as East clinched the section and celebrated after the game.
Cochran was a load at the plate and went 3-4 with two runs and three RBIs. DeHaven (1-2, run, 2 RBIs) and Boswell (1-3, run, 2 RBIs) also had multiple RBIs.
Patton was credited with the win after going 4.1 innings and allowing five hits. He gave up just one earned run and struck out two.
Freshman Brody Combs led the Tigers on offense and went 2-3 with a run and an RBI. Molloghan went 2-4 with a run and two RBIs.
The Spartans will get a week off and get ready for the regional championship series which will start the week of May 22.
