The Burke County East G.A.L.S. 17U softball team saved its best for last.
The Burke Co. East GALS squad, known as the Mishaps, put together two solid victories to knock off cross-county foe Purple Thunder (Burke Co. West GALS) in the best-of-three 2011 Tar Heel League 17U State Softball Championship.
The finals were held last Saturday on Field No. 4 at Catawba Meadows Park.
“I am very pleased with the girls. They did it on the field,” said Mishaps head coach Tammy Icard. “We felt that if we got the momentum going (by winning Game 1) we could carry it the rest of the way. Jumping on them right at the start was huge.”
The Mishaps, after winning Game 1, jumped out to an early 7-0 advantage in the championship contest.
In the top half of the first inning, Nikki Minish walked. Brittany Carpenter followed with a single, then catch Jackie Huffman hit a RBI single to score Minish. Dakota Icard hit a RBI single to score Carpenter. Jackie Cunningham belted a two-RBI double to plate both Huffman and Icard. Lefty Jordan Moore hit a sac fly to score Cunningham with the Mishaps’ fifth run.
The East squad added two more runs in the second inning when N. Minish tripled, then scored on a RBI single by Carpenter, who later scored on a hit to left field by Sydney Haas.
The Purple Thunder, which went unbeaten in the round-robin preliminary rounds including two triumphs against the Mishaps, scored a single run in the second, two runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth to tie the game at 7-7. Shortstop Jessie ‘Beebop’ Stephenson singled to open the second then scored on a groundout by Katie Reid.
The western county team gained two more runs in the fourth when Tonya Shell walked and moved to second on an error before scoring on a RBI double by Stephenson. The Purple Thunder’s shortstop moved to third on an error before scoring on a fielder’s choice by Morgan Garland.
The Purple Thunder tied the game in the fifth. Kristen Costner (single), Kelsey Thomas (fielder’s choice), Shell (walk) and Courtney Gross (two-RBI single) each scored. Garland and Reid recorded RBI singles.
But the Mishaps regrouped to post single runs in both the sixth and seventh innings and surge ahead for good.
Cunningham gained the win on the bump. The rising East Burk High sophomore struck out three batters. Costner (six Ks) took the loss for the Purple Thunder.
“It was really nerve-wracking,” said Cunningham, “but I am glad I got to experience the feeling of being on the mound in a championship caliber situation.
“We stayed together and never game up knowing that we could do it.”
Mishaps 6, Purple Thunder 3 (Game 1) – The Mishaps put the game away with four runs in the seventh inning to claim Game 1 in the title series.
The Mishaps’ Jackie Huffman and Dakota Icard led off with singles then scored on a two-RBI single to center field by Presley Haas. Jackie Cunningham added a RBI double before scoring on errant throws by the Purple Thunder defense.
The Mishaps scored their first run when Nikki Minish singled, stole two bases then crossed home plate on a sac fly by Brittany Carpenter in the fourth inning.
P. Haas added a ground rule double in the fifth then scored on a RBI single by Cunningham.
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