SOUTH POINT — Simply put, the Warren Warriors made a long drive to South Point on Thursday — only to be made short work of by Pointers sophomore standout pitcher Kota Copley. Oh, and her older sister junior Adyson Copley — all she did was play the long game with a Pointers punctuating and South Point score-ending three-run home run to left centerfield in the fourth inning.

Once again, the Copley sisters spearheaded South Point’s prime play in May — as the fourth-seeded Pointers pummeled the fifth-seeded Warriors 14-2 in a Division V Southeast District quarterfinal at South Point’s Ernie Pohlman Park.

With the win, the Pointers raised their record to 19-8, as the Ohio Valley Conference runners-up continue to play well since April 30 –the day they swept Gallia Academy with the completion of a suspended game, followed by defeating the Blue Angels in the regularly-scheduled tilt.

The only losses are 6-5 in walkoff fashion against OVC champion Ironton –and a 2-1 defeat against Southern Ohio Conference Division II champion and Division VII state powerhouse Symmes Valley.

The win over Warren, in which the Pointers pushed an earned run across in the first followed by four more markers in the second, was South Point’s sixth in its last eight games.

“We’ve been playing well the last few weeks. Kota has been pitching well, we’ve been hitting, and when we’re playing defense we’re a real tough out,” said SPHS head coach Tanner Heaberlin.

For the Warriors, they simply couldn’t get the Pointers out late –and the contest ended up being called following the fifth inning with the 10-run mercy rule.

With the score standing 5-0 in the fourth, the Copleys combined for a double to left by leadoff Kota and an RBI-single by two-hole hitter Adyson –making the score 6-0 and chasing Warren starting pitcher Gracie Adams.

But South Point was just warming up in the fourth as the sun emerged back out, and they sent 10 batters to the plate against reliever Peyton Metz –who gave up six hits and two walks and seven total runs, but only two of which were earned.

Kaylee Stidham bookended Metz’s batters faced with a pair of walks, as the South Point slugger and three-hole hitter drew three for the entire game.

Raygen Yates’ two-run single made it 8-0, as Brinley Stamper’s single made it 9-0 –with Warren tagging out a pinch runner for the second out.

Metz then recorded her only strikeout, and that should have been the inning indeed, but the third strike was dropped and resulted in an error –allowing Kaitlyn Evans to reach base and loading them up again.

Kota Copley came back up –and made it a perfect 4-for-4 day with a two-run right-center single to officially make it 11-0, and put the mercy rule into effect.

Adyson only added on in fact — making it 14-0 with her three-run shot against Metz that scored both Evans and Kota Copley as well.

The Copleys, combined with the junior and the Gadsen State Community College (Alabama) commit Stidham, sure make for a dangerous top third of the Pointers’ batting order.

Kota’s four hits on Thursday gave her 65 for the year, which is high on the Ohio High School Athletic Association list for hits in a single softball season.

A minimum of 60 is required to make the official OHSAA list for such, as Madi Ogden of Williamsburg in 2019 holds the state record with 85.

“Kota pitches really well, but she hits the ball fantastic. She is hitting over .600 this year. When our top three are hitting, we’re going to be a tough out, especially if Kota is pitching anywhere well at all,” said Heaberlin. “Everybody was hitting well. Kaylee (Stidham) has been hitting the ball, she got walked three times today. And Adyson (Copley) is coming around batting about .500. Like I said, if the top three are hitting and getting on, and if the bottom of the lineup produces at all, we’re going to beat a lot of people.”

Having recently surpassed 400 strikeouts for her young yet decorated South Point career, Kota Copley continued to pitch well on Thursday –and amid cooler but rare mid-May temperatures.

She struck seven Warriors out, including for all three outs as part of the 1-2-3 second stanza.

She walked her second batter in the third and hit a batter in the fourth, both with two outs, but left them stranded there with her fifth strikeout in the third –and a groundout right back to her in the fourth.

She walked Danica Graves and gave up a Jayda Murray single with two outs in the opening inning, but stranded them there with a second second-base groundout in the inning to Yates.

With the 14-0 lead, and after the Warriors opened the fifth with yet another groundout to Yates, the only drama remaining was would Warren score a run.

The Warriors did score twice, as nine-hole hitter Braylynn Bonnette singled with one out –and DeLaney Gates reached on the Pointers’ only error with two away.

Danica Gates doubled to score both, but Copley induced Murray to pop out to Yates to end the game.

The Pointers got one on the board against Adams in the first –when the Copleys both singled, as Kota beat out an infield hit and Adyson singled to left.

Stidham then walked to load the bases, and after the first out was recorded, Kota Copley crossed when Adams walked Natilyn Spears.

The second started in similar fashion –as Stamper reached on an infield hit, Evans singled to center, then Kota Copley singled to center to bring in Stamper and make it 2-0.

Adyson Copley reached on an error to load the bases yet again, and then with two outs, Adams allowed her third walk –to Yates this time with Evans scoring the run.

The Copleys then scored to make it 5-0 –Kota on an RBI-groundout by Spears and Adyson on an Adams wild pitch.

Adams sat South Point down 1-2-3 in the third, but the Pointers more than made up for it in the fourth –with nine runs on nine hits and the beneficiary dropped third strike on Evans’ at-bat.

Kyleigh Castle and Chloe West both singled to set Stamper up in the inning, and as Addalyn Williams replaced Metz in the circle with the score 14-0, Yates gained her second hit with a simple single to center.

Heaberlin did admit that having the four seed in Division IV did help on Thursday — and not having to make the two-hour plus drive to Washington County.

That was Warren’s drive down to South Point for the afternoon.

“That drive is awful. It (Vincent) is probably close to two-and-a-half hours from here. Glad we didn’t have to make it,” said the coach.

But, the Pointers probably are happy about Monday’s drive to Logan –an estimated two-hour trek northward along windy and curvy and cell-service deprived Ohio Route 93.

That’s where South Point plays eighth-seeded Waverly, which upset top-seeded Jackson 2-1 in another Thursday quarterfinal.

The Pointers, meeting in the pitcher’s circle for the postgame talk from Heaberlin, heard that score as relayed to them — and they reacted as expected stunned.

But Waverly wasn’t the only upset in the Division IV Southeast District bracket by seeds.

Sixth-seeded Gallia Academy knocked off third-seeded Circleville 7-5, as both Waverly and Gallia Academy needed to win their opening-round games on Tuesday.

Waverly and South Point play on Monday (May 18) at 4 p.m. at Logan High School in a Division IV district semifinal –a quick turnaround to be playing a team that the Pointers probably weren’t expecting to be facing.

However, Heaberlin said such is life come tournament time.

“Waverly plays a very tough schedule, but we’re going to prepare for them just like we would if it was Jackson,” he said. “We don’t play Waverly in the regular season, so we don’t know what they have. But I feel confident that if Kota is pitching well and we’re playing defense and our lineup is hitting, we’ll give them a game.”

Now, it’s South Point’s turn to travel far for a chance to play for a possible district championship.

Division IV District Tournament

South Point 14, Warren 2 (5 inn.)

Warren 000 02 — 2 2 3

South Point 140 9X –14 14 1

Gracie Adams, Peyton Metz (4), Addalyn Williams (4) and Jayda Murray

Kota Copley and Natilyn Spears

W — Kota Copley; L –Gracie Adams

WHS: Gracie Adams 3+IP, 7R, 5ER, 7H, 0HB, 3BB, 2WP, 4K, 20BF; Peyton Metz 2/3 IP, 7R, 2ER, 6H, 0HB, 2BB, 1WP, 1K, 10BF; Addalyn Williams 1/3 IP, 0R, 0ER, 0H, 0HB, 0BB. 0WP, 1K, 2BF

SPHS: Kota Copley 5IP, 2R, 1ER, 3H, 1HB, 2BB, 0WP, 7K, 22BF