Hopkins hurls no-hitter as Warriors down Bulldogs in section tournament

May 1—MORGANTOWN — The Trinity Christian softball team is officially in uncharted territory.

For the first time since restarting the program three years ago, the Warriors won a game in their sectional tournament Wednesday evening, 12-0 over visiting Tygarts Valley.

"It's really amazing, " TCS coach Colony Hopkins said. "It's amazing for these girls, they've been working really hard. This is our third year and I knew we'd be better, but I definitely didn't anticipate this. This has been a really great thing for them."

Wednesday's win was the 13th of the season for Trinity (13-10) after the Warriors won just one game the previous two years combined. It also comes a day after the Warriors dropped their playoff opener in a frustrating 9-3 loss at South Harrison on Tuesday.

"We had a long talk afterward, " Hopkins said. "I think they just recognized it was tough because it was new and they were nervous about being there. I have all underclassmen and I think they just got caught up in the moment. They were afraid to make a mistake and when you're afraid to make a mistake, you're going to make a mistake."

Any nerves the Warriors felt on Tuesday were gone by the time they arrived at ISS Field on Wednesday as the team had a great offensive showing and got a near-perfect pitching performance from freshman hurler Paige Hopkins.

The TCS offense struck first in the bottom of the second when Hannah Dunham walked and worked herself all the way around the bases, eventually scoring on a passed ball to give Trinity a 1-0 lead. Despite now leading, the Warriors still didn't have a hit in the game.

"We're famous for that sometimes, " Coach Hopkins said. "It takes us one time through the lineup to get going and that tends to get us in trouble when we're playing better teams."

The offense was given the time to find its footing because Paige Hopkins, the coach's daughter, struck out four of the first six batters she faced, inducing a popup and a weak ground out from the other two.

The offensive dam broke in the bottom of the third and Trinity collected six hits and took advantage of three Tygarts Valley (4-12) errors to score 11 runs. The big hits in the frame were a bases-loaded single by Emma Jenkins that scored three and a three-run inside-the-park home run by Peyton Moore that capped off the 11-run rally.

That was more than enough run support for Hopkins, who spun a five-inning no-hitter, surrendering just a pair of walks while striking out six.

"I'm proud of her, " Coach Hopkins said. "As a freshman, she is asked to be in some high-pressure situations and as her mom, I probably put her in worse high-pressure situations. I'm proud of her that she came out and gave us a good showing."

Hopkins also collected two hits at the plate including a double, drove in a run and scored one. Moore went 2-3 with the home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Jenkins drove in two runs while Marlo Flecker had one RBI. Dunham and Arlie Humphreys scored twice each.

Trinity will host Clay-Battelle in another Class A Region II, Section 2 elimination game at ISS Field today at 6 p.m. The Cee-Bees defeated Tygarts Valley on Monday and fell to Doddridge County on Tuesday to fall into the losers' bracket.

The Warriors faced their inter-county rivals three times this season, winning all three by a combined score of 33-5.

BOX SCORE Trinity Christian 12, Tygarts Valley 0 TV 000 00—0 0 3 TCS 01 (11) 0x—12 6 1 TYGARTS VALLEY (4-12)—Yokum 2 0 0 0 ; Swecker 2 0 0 0 ; Mitchell 2 0 0 0 ; Blackwood 2 0 0 0 ; Lanham 2 0 0 0 ; Davis 2 0 0 0 ; Smith 2 0 0 0 ; Riddle 1 0 0 0 ; Bell 0 0 0 0. Totals 15 0 0 0.

TRINITY CHRISTIAN (13-10)—Moore 3 2 2 3 ; Titus 2 1 0 0 ; Hopkins 3 1 2 1 ; Flcker 3 1 0 1 ; Dunham 1 2 0 0 ; Kelley 2 1 0 0 ; Jenkins 3 1 1 2 ; Conn 1 1 0 0 ; Humphreys 1 2 1 0. Totals 19 12 6 7.

2B: TCS (Hopkins)

HR: TCS (Moore)

WP: Hopkins 5 ip, 0r, 0h, 2bb, 6k LP: Blackwood 4ip, 12r, 5bb, 1k