VIENNA - Taylor Wittekind had the game-winning RBI hit in the bottom of the 10th inning during the opener and CeCe Bailey picked up a pair of mound triumphs here Wednesday at Jackson Park as Parkersburg South swept Ripley to claim the Class AAA, Region IV, Section 2 softball championship.
The Patriots (20-13) of head coach Jennifer Null eked out a 2-1 win against Ken Swisher's Vikings in game one and then got three scoreless innings from Nicole Landis in the nightcap before Bailey tossed the last four during the 6-0 triumph.
"I think we all jelled as a team and we really came together," said Wittekind, whose two-out RBI single to center plated Kristen Hamilton for the winning run against hard-luck loser Reese Gandee. "We stuck it out for 17 innings. I'm really proud of everyone. We all worked together and all of our effort paid off."
Article Photos
Photo by Jeff Baughan
Ripley’s Abby Brannon is tagged by Parkersburg South’s Michaelyn Busch at first base to complete a double play Wednesday during their Class AAA sectional game at Jackson Park in Vienna. The Patriots swept the Vikings, 2-1, in 10 innings and 6-0.
Wittekind, who also had an RBI double to plate Hamilton for the first tally of game one in the bottom of the first, added about her walk-off hit, "I just really wanted to find a hole to score the run. I just wanted to get it."
Ripley squared the first contest at one apiece by scoring an unearned run against Bailey in the third. Ashley Mellinger reached on a one-out single and pinch-runner Hannah Ford scored one batter later when Ali Cunningham hit a comebacker to Bailey, whose throw to first was high and went down the line in right. On that play, Cunningham was nailed at third on a 1-9-2-5 putout.
Chelsey Hager began the fourth with a single to left and moved to third on an error, but with no one out she was gunned down at the plate when Ryne Hill hit a grounder to Wittekind at shortstop and she fired home to Genna Trippett, who applied a hard tag to Hager. One batter later, Meghan Brannon hit into the first of three Ripley double plays in the opener.
Fact Box
Softball
Class AAA, Region IV,
Section 2 at Jackson Park
Game 3
Parkersburg South 2, Ripley 1 (10 inn.)
RHS 001 000 000 0 - 1 5 2
PSHS 100 000 000 1 - 2 7 3
WP: CeCe Bailey 10 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO
LP: Reese Gandee 9.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
Ripley hitting: Chelsey Hager 1-4; Ryne Hill 2-4; Kala Ford 1-3; Ashley Mellinger 1-3; Hannah Ford R
Parkersburg South hitting: Kristen Hamilton 3-5, 2 R, SB; Taylor Wittekind 2-5, 2B, game-winning single, 2 RBIs; Genna Trippett 1-4 SB; Logan Somerville 1-4
Game 4
Parkersburg South 6, Ripley 0
Ripley (17-10) 000 000 0 - 0 4 2
South (20-13) 201 300 x - 6 8 2
WP: Bailey 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
Nicole Landis (starter) 3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
LP: Hager 3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO
Karly Fitzsimmons 3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Ripley hitting: Hager 1-3; Hill 1-3; Gandee 1-3; Ford 1-3
Parkersburg South hitting: Katelyn Hamilton 1-4 R, SB; Kr. Hamilton SB; Jenna Daugherty 1-2, 2 R, SB; Wittekind 2-4 R; G. Trippett 2-4 three-run HR (4th), 4 RBIs; Landis 1-2 RBI; Paige Gribble 1-2 R
Note: Genna Trippett's home run was her 11th of the campaign.
Next game: Parkersburg South plays on the road at 5 p.m. next Thursday at St. Albans in a Region IV semifinal.
Class A Sectional Tournament
at Gilmer County
Gilmer sweeps Wirt, wins sectional
Game 1
Gilmer 11, Wirt County 2 (5 innings)
Gilmer 243 11 - 11 7 1
Wirt 020 00 - 2 6 0
WP: Lexi Hacker, 5 IP, 1 SO, 0 BB
LP: Natalie McVey, 3 IP, 4 SO, 7 BB
Abby Murray, 2 IP, 1 SO, 1 BB
Gilmer hitting: Tiffany Young 1-2, 3 runs, 3-run HR, 3 RBIs; Jordan Morris run; Chelsea Knicely 1-2, 2 runs, RBI; Morgan Allen 1-2, run, RBI; Jamie Conrad 3-4, run, 2 RBIs; Julie Bishop 1-3, RBI; Teayria Cool run; Hacker run; Alexus Sprouse run
Wirt hitting: Emily Ohrn 2-3, RBI; Stone Cheuvront 1-3; Shania Tanner 1-2, run; Katelyn Cottrell 1-2, run; Mady Campbell, 1-2, RBI
Game 2
Gilmer 11, Wirt 0 (5 innings)
Gilmer (15-10) 120 26 - 11 6 1
Wirt 000 00 - 0 4 0
WP: Hacker, 5 IP, 1 SO, 0 BB
LP: Ohrn, 5 IP, 2 SO, 12 BB
Gilmer hitting: Young 2-2, 3 runs, RBI; Morris run, RBI; Knicely 1-4, run, RBI; Allen 2-3, 2 RBIs; Jaylin Johnson run; Conrad run; Cool run; Hacker run; Sprouse 1-2, 2 runs
Wirt hitting: Ohrn 2-3, Leigh Thomas 1-2, Leah Haines 1-2
Next game: Gilmer at St. Marys in regional semifinals Thursday, May 10
Baseball
Valley (Wetzel) 9, Paden City 3
Valley 125 010 0 - 9 10 1
Paden City 000 010 2 - 3 6 4
WP: Brandon Stoneking 6IP 1BB 11SO
Triston Kocher 1IP 1BB 2SO
LP: Jay Billiter 2IP 5BB 3SO
Levi Meadows 3IP 3BB 3SO
Matt Barker 2IP 2BB 3SO
Leading hitters: Valley - Drew Wade 3-3, 2 RBIs; Brandon Stoneking 1-4, 2B; Collin Bates 1-1, RBI; Caleb Palmer 1-3, RBI; Tyler Hayes 2-3, 2 RBIs. Paden City - Craig Allen 2-4, 2 RBIs; Kyle Postlethwait 1-3, 2B, RBI; Taylor Still 2-3.
Record: Paden City 4-17; Valley 10-10
Next game: Friday at Paden City City - Wood County Christian vs. Paden City, 3:30 p.m.; East Richland Christian vs. Wood County Christian, 5:30 p.m.; East Richland Christian vs. Paden City, 7:30 p.m.
At Roane County
Roane 15, Webster County 4 (5 innings)
Webster 012 01 - 4 6 1
Roane (12-14) 374 1x - 15 16 0
WP: Tim Hendershot, 2 IP, 1 BB, 1 SO
Jacob Godbey, 0 IP, 2 BB, 0 SO
Caige Nichols, 2 IP, 2 BB, 0 SO
Eli Kucherawy, 1 IP, 0 BB, 0 SO
LP: Garrett Dorsey, 1 1/3 IP, 3 BB, 1 SO
Todd Brown, 2 2/3 IP 2 BB, 1 SO
Webster hitting: Brown 1-2, Levi Stout 2-2, Drew Green 2-3
Roane hitting: Scottie Fox 1-2; Justin Dynes 3-4, double, RBI; Quentin Corbitt 1-2, double, RBI; Willie Bowman, 1-2, RBI; Hunter Bradley 3-4, double, 4 RBIs; Kucherawy 4-4, 5 RBIs; Hunter Simmons 2-3, double, RBI; Hendershot 1-3
Next game: Parkersburg Catholic at Roane 6 p.m. today in LKC 5th-place game
Zanesville 5, Marietta 0
Zanesville 022 001 0 - 5 11 1
Marietta 000 000 0 - 0 0 2
WP: Austin Miller: 7IP: No-Hitter, 4BB, 9K.
LP: Nick Lewis 2 2/3 IP, 4H, 4R, 2ER, 3BB
Eli Lenington 3IP, 6H, ER, BB, K
Adam McKnight: 1 1/3 IP, H, BB
Zanesville Top Hitters: Matt Lynn: 3-5, R, Wes Hudson: 2-3, R, 2RBI, 2B, Colton Barcus: 2-3, R, 2B, Matt Maxwell: 1-3, 2RBI, Shane Bials: 1-4, R, 2B, Miller: 1-4, Jeff Suciu: 1-3, RBI.
Next Game: Marietta (12-11) Friday at Athens.
St. Albans 6, Parkersburg South 4
St. Albans 500 010 0 - 6 6 1
South 010 030 0- 4 6 1
WP: Ethan Glenn 7IP 1BB 1SO
LP: Wes Mitchem 5.1IP 6BB 5SO
A.J. Easter 1.2IP 2BB 1SO
Leading hitters: St. Albans - Justin Hunt 1-2, 2 runs; Tyler Allen 1-3, run; Josh Burkes 1-4, run. South - Wes Mitchem 2-3; Jacob Wilcox 1-3, 2 RBIs; Dustin Helmic 1-3, RBI; Hunter Hamilton 1-3, run.
Record: South 18-9
Next game: South at Federal Hocking, 5:30 p.m. today
Hamilton, who left game two in the bottom of the first inning after getting thrown out at home and hurting her right ankle, finished the opener by going 3 for 5 with a stolen base.
Viking Ryne Hill went 2 for 4 in the opener and that included starting the 10th with a single to right, but she was erased on a fielder's choice hit by Brannon, who was then doubled up on an 8-3 putout when Abby Brannon flied out to center and Logan Somerville fired the ball back to Patriot first baseman Michaelyn Busch.
Hager was the loser in game two and went the first three innings, allowing three runs, while Karly Fitzsimmons tossed the final trio of frames and also allowed three runs.
PSHS, which will play in a regional semifinal at 5 p.m. next Thursday against host St. Albans, took control of game two with a two-run first. Katelyn Hamilton singled to start the inning and stole second. Katelyn Hamilton scored when Kristen Hamilton reached on an error, but Kristen Hamilton left the game injured after getting nailed at the plate following a single by Wittekind, who later scored to make it 2-0 thanks to a Trippett RBI single to center.
Jenna Daugherty, who replaced Kristen Hamilton, walked to begin the third, stole second and scored on a Landis RBI single back up the box.
The big blow against the Vikings, who ended their season at 17-10, came in the fourth inning. No. 9 hitter Paige Gribble singled and Daugherty then came through with a one-out bunt single. Although Fitzsimmons got Wittekind via a strikeout, Trippett blasted a three-run bomb to left - her 11th of the season - to account for the final runs of the game.
