Carroll's two-hitter, Lady Generals take advantage of Lady Tigers errors to force decisive Game 3 Thursday

Chapmanville's Hayley Fleming tracks down a ball hit in the gap in left center field during the fourth inning of the Lady Tigers 3-0 loss at Winfield Wednesday night (Photo courtesy of CKG Graphics).

Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports

WINFIELD   Strong pitching in the circle from Mattie Carroll and a pair of Chapmanville fourth inning errors helped top-ranked Winfield force a decisive game for the Class AAA Region 3 championship.

Carroll tossed a two-hitter, throwing just 55 pitches, to lead the Lady Generals to a 3-0 victory Wednesday night at Winfield. The Lady Generals (25-7) and Lady Tigers (18-7) will play a winner-take-all game three at 6 p.m. Thursday night at Ronnie "Mule" Ooten Field with the winner advancing to the Class AAA state softball tournament at South Charleston's Little Creek Park.

Based on the first three matchups between two of Class AAA's top seven ranked schools, there wasn't much scoring to be expected.

Both teams were scoreless through three innings before Winfield broke through with three unearned runs taking advantage of two Lady Tigers miscues in the field.

Emeri Nelson started the inning with a single and scored on a throwing error by third baseman Peyton Lusk, who fielded a Rylee McClellan bunt, but Lusk's throw sailed into right field allowing Nelson to score and McClellan to advance to third base.

Brooklyn Cole followed with a triple to left field allowing courtesy runner Natalie Cook to score from third giving the Lady Generals a 2-0 lead. Caraline Dunn followed with a run scoring double to left to plate Cole and make it 3-0.

That would be more than enough run support for Carroll, who allowed a pair of singles to Chloe Murphy and Lusk in the Chapmanville third inning.

Murphy allowed three unearned runs on seven hits while striking out nine and walking one in defeat.

Ava Cole had three of the Lady Generals seven hits. Brooklyn Cole and Dunn each had one hit and drove in one run, Carroll and Nelson had one hit each and Kenlie Zigmond had an RBI.

The winner of Thursday's game three will face the Region 4 winner between Independence and Herbert Hoover. The Lady Patriots forced a decisive game three with a walk off win Wednesday night.

Region 1 champion Weir and Region 2 champion Frankfort meet in Friday's first semifinal at 9:30 a.m. at Little Creek Park.