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Williamstown finishes 3rd in W.Va. Class A

VIENNA – Attaining perfection was made to look easy Thursday at Jackson Park.

The Maroon Knights of Wheeling Central Catholic cruised to a 7-2 victory over Man in the state championship softball final, putting the exclamation point on a magnificent 33-0 season. The Knights jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning, which was more than enough for pitching ace Marissa Garlitz. The sophomore righty allowed only one earned run on five hits while five Knights hitters collected RBIs.

“It’s all about hard work from the players,” said a jubilant Central coach Rick Magruder when asked how a perfect season is achieved.

“They play during the summer, the fall; they play on traveling teams – they even go in the indoors in the winter to hit.”

Earlier, in the day’s first game, Williamstown attempted to win its second ever state tournament game and defeat Man to earn a second shot at the Maroon Knights, but fell by an 8-0 scoreline.

Hannah Daniels led the way on the mound for the Billies, tossing a three-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and two walks. At the dish, catcher Sydney Heffer and first baseman Cyndee Lambert, batting in the three and four spots, combined for seven hits and five RBIs against ‘Jacket starter Nellie King.

King, who had pitched 14 pressure-packed innings on Tuesday, was lacking a bit of velocity after her strenuous efforts the previous day, and the Billies’ hitters took immediate advantage. Three first-inning singles plated the first run, a two-run double by Lambert made it 3-0 in the third, and a six-hit, five-run effort in the sixth put the game in mercy-rule territory.

“Nellie’s a great athlete and a great kid. She was fatigued, but no one can blame her for that,” said Williamstown coach Kayla Stanley.

“We couldn’t get the bats going, and when the bats don’t get going, the fielding goes down. I think that’s true of every team I’ve ever seen.”

There were tears in the ‘Jacket dugout in the end, but Stanley knows her players have a lot to be proud of after a historic season.

“We had a tough start, but this team came together like no high school or college team I’ve ever seen. That’s how we got here,” she said.

For the final, a large group of Williamstown players and fans joined the Man supporters to try and cheer the Billies on to an improbable upset. The 32-0 favorites had to be defeated twice in a row, and in spite of a raucous atmosphere created by the combined set of fans it became immediately clear that was not to be.

Man starter Emily Walker had held the Knights in check, limiting them to three hits in Tuesday’s exciting 3-2 Central comeback win, but that total was equaled before the first out was recorded in the final. Baily Rehm led off with a single down the left field line. Shortstop Jules Padden beat out a bunt single, and the runners moved to second and third as the throw went awry. Catcher Allie Cook grounded a single through the shortstop hole to plate Rehm with the first run.

Olivia Carpenter drew a walk to load the bases, setting the table for third baseman Riley Bennington. She walloped the first pitch from Walker to the base of the left-center field wall for a two run double.

Walker got Garlitz to pop up for the first out, but next batter JaiEhr Jackson hit a bullet over the head of the left fielder for another two run double. Hannah Mozingo lined a single up the middle to make it 6-0 before the side was retired.

Garlitz, after her near-perfect game against Williamstown on Tuesday, continued her hot form, allowing only one baserunner through the first three innings.

The Knights added another run in their half of the third when Garlitz hit a towering double to the same spot in left-center Bennington had found before, and a Rehm two-out single brought her around. Walker was replaced on the mound by Daniels after the third.

Magruder spoke about his side’s improved performance against the Man hurler.

“Yesterday she kept the ball inside; we adjusted. I said, ‘lay off bad pitches; lay off the inside stuff if you can’t do anything with it, and wait for your pitch.’ They took care of business.”

Man salvaged some consolation by scoring the first runs of the tournament off of Garlitz. Singles by Heffer and Lambert and a wild pitch opened their scoring in the fourth, and Emilee Toler singled to center to drive in Hannah MacCormack with two outs in the fifth. Knights left fielder Mozingo thwarted a potential Man rally in the sixth with a spectacular diving catch to rob Grace Cline of extra bases and an RBI. Garlitz retired the side 1-2-3 in the seventh to close out the championship.

Although this year’s invincible Knights will lose some key players to graduation this spring, coach Magruder foresees good things in the future for his underclassmen.

“We have four graduation losses, and some talented kids to replace. We just have to have younger kids step up to fill in holes. That’s how you reload.”

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