Sixth-inning rally gives Catawba Ridge softball second-consecutive 4A state title
Catawba Ridge rallied late to beat West Florence,6-3, to complete the sweep in Game 2 of the SCHSL 4A Softball State Championship Series.
This is the second straight championship for the Copperheads, which won the program’s first with a series sweep over South Florence last season.
“Just looking at this team and the makeup of this team, knowing what we went through last year and having those battles tested day in and day out, they were ready coming into this year for us to be able to move forward,” Catawba Ridge head coach Michael Kidd said. “They were prepared for a repeat. More than any team I think I’ve ever coached.”
The Copperheads jumped out to a quick 3-0 start in the first inning thanks to left fielder Braylon Lawrence scoring on a wild pitch and a two-run home run from Kendra Murray.
And that was all the offense Catawba Ridge got for a while as the Copperheads recorded only one hit over the next four innings. That allowed West Florence to creep back into the game, scoring a run in the second, third and fifth innings thanks to three Catawba Ridge errors.
That placed even more pressure on the defense and senior pitcher Chloe Burger as things seemed to be trending in the wrong direction for Catawba Ridge.
“(What I did to refocus) was honestly going into the dugout and sitting by myself and taking deep breaths,” the USC Upstate commit said. “When I know my hitters were behind us and I know they were going to come, that made me relax a little more. When I go back out onto the field and get in jams, I just tell myself to push and get through it.”
A 1-2-3 inning from Burger at the top of the sixth kept the game tied at 3-3, and the bottom of the sixth saw the Catawba Ridge bats come alive.
After a single by Lawrence, Audrey Wilson tripled to drive her home. Murray singled in the next bat to bring home Wilson. Murray got to third thanks to a stolen base and a Sara Rochelau sacrifice bunt. Another sacrifice bunt by catcher Mia Kovacs drove Murray hometo give the Copperheads a 6-3 lead heading into the final inning.
“We knew that if we scored right there, we were definitely going to win it,” Murray said. “Just getting those runs, just settled everything down, settled us down and we were able to dig in for one more inning.”
With a three-run lead back in hand and three outs away from a win, Burger shut down any thoughts of a West Florence comeback with her second-straight 1-2-3 inning.
As the celebrations began and Catawba Ridge players ran onto the field, Burger said it was a bittersweet moment for her.
She won her second state title and reached 1,000 career strikeouts in the game.
“I think it’s a little more sad, honestly, because it’s my last time playing with Braylon and Audrey,” Burger said. “We’ve been playing together since we were 9. I don’t know, it just means a lot more.”
Catawba Ridge finishes its season at 29-2.
