Freshman pitcher is unlikely hitting hero in Belton-Honea Path softball's first state championship
LEXINGTON – Belton-Honea Path freshman softball pitcher Addi Vaughn might’ve been the most unlikely hero of a state championship game.
Especially with a bat.
Vaughn, who split time this season between varsity and JV, pitched four innings of shutout relief Friday night in the Class AAA high school final and allowed the Bears to rally from a six-run deficit and beat Aynor, 9-8, for their first state championship.
Batting for only the fifth time all season, Vaughn hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to put Belton-Honea Path on top for the first time, 9-8. The Bears stayed in front mostly because she allowed only two hits, both infield singles, and didn’t allow a runner to reach second base.
"I knew she had some pop in her bat,” Belton-Honea Path coach Jarad Jennings said. "But that wasn’t why we brought her in the game.”
Belton-Honea Path (31-4) was down 8-4 when Vaughn replaced starter Kinsley Kay. The Bears might’ve at that point turned to first baseman Liv Hall or third baseman Carli Smith, who are also experienced pitchers. But they were both unavailable because of injuries.
So, it was up to the youngster. And when Kay’s turn came up in the batting order, it was Vaughn instead. She smashed a ball that cut through the wind and went over the right-field fence for the lead. It was her second homer of the season. She had one in a spring break tournament at Myrtle Beach.
This time, it was in the biggest game in program history.
“You always dream about that kind of a moment, but you never really expect it to happen to you," Vaughn said. "It did not feel real at all.”
The home run capped a five-run inning and eight runs in two innings after the Bears had fallen behind, 7-1, against defending champion Aynor (24-6).
“Our kids didn’t quit,” Jennings said. “We set some goals. We wanted to win the region championship and we fell short of that (as Palmetto won). So, we kind of changed our goals around. I kept telling them, ‘If we get hot at the right time, we can hang a banner up in this place.’ And we did it.”
Emma Evans got on base all four times up and scored three runs. She walked twice, got hit by a pitch, stole two bases and hit a double. Emily Brown was 2-for-3. Hall had a double and scored two runs. Chloe Maness had an RBI single and scored twice.
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Todd Shanesy is a former award-winning writer who now covers high school athletics for the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent Mail in the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at todd.shanesy@shj.com. Follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, at @ToddShanesySHJ.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: SCHSL softball state championship: Belton-Honea Path wins first title
