LINDSIDE – Greenbrier West captured the Region III softball championship Thursday night with a 9-3 win over the homestanding James Monroe Mavericks. The Cavaliers swept the best-of-three series 2-0 to claim their first regional title since the 2019 season.
Just as they had done in game one, it was the Mavericks that struck first. James Monroe pitcher Bryleigh Thomas navigated the top of the first inning by stifling the top of the Cavalier batting order. Only Brilee Redden reached base and that was by an error. Once at bat, the Mavericks attacked. Chloe Bert led off with a double and Shay Wickline traded places with her on the basepaths, lining an RBI-double to centerfield for a lightning-fast 1-0 lead. Madison Booth followed up with a four pitch walk to put runners at first and second. From that point, West hurler Redden found her groove. Thomas grounded out to Redden followed by back-to-back strikeouts.
The Cavaliers would strike back in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, Desteney Walker reached bases on an error by Bert. Julia Herndon drew a full count walk and Adkins advanced both runners on a ground ball out to the right side. Hannah Sweet then slapped a single to centerfield that scored Walker. Herndon followed Walker across the plate on the throw and West had a 2-1 lead.
Redden shut down the Mavericks in the bottom of the fourth with a one, two, three inning. Redden sent the Mavericks packing with an eight-pitch effort that included a groundout, pop fly, and a fly ball out.
The top of the fifth inning would be the Mavericks undoing. The Cavaliers, batting from the top of the order, put runners on the basepaths. Maddie Fields led off with a single to the left side. Redden then reached on an error and both runners advanced after tagging up on Preslee Treadway’s foul ball out on the right side. With Cavalier runners at second and third, Thomas lost her rhythm and walked Ames. The agony continued when Thomas delivered a four-pitch walk to Walker and forced home a run from Fields.
Herndon, with help from the Maverick defense, kept the scoring parade going when she hit a sharp grounder to third that Chloie Shires found hot to handle. Redden and Ames plated runs on the error for a 5-1 advantage. Brooklyn Adkins drilled a liner toward second that Bert failed to field cleanly, scoring Walker and taking the lead to five runs. Thomas had been bailed out by her defense in game one at Crawley. With things going in the opposite direction, Thomas dialed it in and ended the inning with a pair of punchouts.
Facing a 6-1 deficit with only three at-bats remaining, James Monroe went to work to shave the West lead. Booth drew a leadoff walk and Thomas singled to left field. Both runners advanced a base during an at-bat that resulted in a Jadyn Bradley strikeout. The Mavericks caught a break, though, when Treadway’s throw to first sailed over Kyndall Taylor’s glove. Booth and Thomas both scored on the overthrow, and Haley Hunnicutt legged it out to second. Redden would squash the rally from that point, striking out both Shires and Bailey to end the inning.
West would threaten to add to their 6-3 lead in the top of the sixth. Redden singled to centerfield followed by a hard Treadway grounder that resulted in an error. Maverick skipper Greg Wickline decided to intentionally walk Ames with first base open and two on. The tactic would prove successful as the Mavericks used the force plays available to them to close out the inning with two plays at the plate.
James Monroe’s problems at the plate would continue, though, as the bottom of the sixth produced no runs. Redden struck out pinch hitter Sienna Hixon. Bert was able to reach base on a Cavalier error, but James Monroe would not capitalize. Redden induced fly ball outs from Shay Wickline and Booth to maintain the 6-3 lead with an inning left to play.
With a regional title within their grasp, the Cavaliers would add some insurance runs in the top of the seventh. With only one out, Greenbrier West strung together four consecutive singles. Brooke Patterson started the conga line followed by Fields, Redden, and Treadway. Treadway’s liner scored Patterson. Fields took advantage of an errant throw and barreled toward the plate. Shires fired the ball home and Wickline applied the tag it what appeared to be a nice recovery for an out. Fields, however, dislodged the softball and was safely in for an 8-3 lead. With Cavalier runners at second and third, Coach Wickline once again decided to intentionally walk Ames to load the bases. Walker stepped in and drove a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Redden and increasing the Cavalier lead to six before Thomas ended the half-inning.
West head coach Tony Hinkle said the Cavaliers have adopted these late-innings heroics. “It seems like here lately that we’ve been waiting until the fifth or sixth inning before we get going.”
Armed with a six-run lead, Redden and the Cavaliers needed only three outs to secure the regional series. The Mavericks, however, were not ready to cede the game. Thomas led off with a line drive up the middle. Bradley, who had struck out five times in the two-game series, stepped to the plate with one on and nobody out. In her only plate appearance that hadn’t ended in a strikeout, she had flied out weakly to second base. This time, Bradley had other ideas. Bradley threaded the needle down the third base line, perfectly driving the ball between Walker and the bag. James Monroe had a heartbeat with two on and no outs, but the pulse was about to weaken. Haley Hunnicutt, who had broken up Redden’s no-hitter a day before, stepped in and took a big cut for strike one. On Redden’s next delivery, Hunnicutt pulled the ball down the left side. Walker gobbled up the grounder and stepped on third for the first out. Redden mowed down Shires for a three-pitch strikeout.
Down to their last out, the Mavericks relied on Emily Bailey to keep their season alive. Bailey fouled off Redden’s first offering and took balls one and two. A swinging strike set the count at 2-2. Redden rocked and delivered a pitch on the outside corner. Bailey made soft contact that rolled directly at Ames. Ames collected the grounder and zipped the throw to first for the third out.
Hinkle praised his team. “I’m relieved because we felt like we had the team to do it. All year they have never got down and always believed in themselves.”
Hinkle reflected on his young pitcher’s performance over the two-game series. “We really weren’t going to pitch Brilee. We wanted to pitch Michaela (Alley), but she had the stomach virus. She’s been sick for the last two days and couldn’t even dress. We wanted to give Brilee a rest day in case we had to play tomorrow, but it worked out.”
It worked out in a big way, sending the Lady Cavaliers to the state tournament for the second time in four seasons (the 2000 season was canceled due to COVID). That 2019 state tournament squad rode the back of two All-State pitchers in Kenley Posten and Camryn Dorsey. The current version will undoubtedly rely on Redden and Alley, that and timely hitting. Those are two things this team does well.
Greenbrier West will face Region II champion Petersburg on Wednesday in game two of the Class A state tournament. First pitch will be between 11:30 A.M. – noon at Little Creek Park in South Charleston on Rock Field B. Tickets are only available digitally and be purchased at http://www.gofan.co/WVSSAC.
