Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
FAYETTEVILLE Lydia Smith had three hits including a triple, Mia Johnson tossed her second shutout in as many games and the Man Little League clinched a spot in Thursday’s championship bracket with a 4-0 win over Sophia Little League Wednesday evening in the West Virginia Little League Softball State Tournament at Charlie McCoy Town Park.
Carly Caserta had two double and scored twice and Johnson added a triple and drove in one run to lead Man’s eight-hit attack Wednesday. Four of the eight hits went for extra bases as Man finished as the runner-up in the Mountaineer bracket.
With the win, Man moves on to the championship bracket where they will face Herd bracket winner Jefferson at 8 p.m. Thursday evening. Mountaineer bracket winner Hite Saunders will take on Herd bracket runner-up Barboursville in the first game Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and the two winners will meet for the state championship at 6 p.m. Friday evening.
Johnson allowed four hits, struck out six and walked two. Sophia’s Brenleigh Haga gave up four runs in six innings allowing eight hits and striking out 13.
After being held hitless through four innings by Hedgesville’s Kenzie Edwards Tuesday, Man didn’t wait long to get the offense going Wednesday as they scored two runs in the second inning to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
Brianna Blankenship started the inning with a single to center and came around to score on Smith’s triple. Anna Belcher followed with a bunt single to drive home Smith.
The run support proved to be enough for Johnson, but for added measures, Man tacked on a run in the third and added one additional run in the fifth.
Caserta doubled with one out in the third, stole third and came around to score on an error to extend Man’s lead to 3-0.
Caserta doubled again in the fifth, this time with two outs, and came around to score on Johnson’s triple that one hopped the center field fence for a 4-0 lead.
Sophia could only manage four singles off Johnson, two off the bat of Kylee Jones and one each from Hailey Lemon and Mackynzie McClaugherty.
Belcher added one hit and one RBI and Blankenship had one hit for Man.
Man and Jefferson will meet for the second consecutive year in state tournament play. Man defeated Jefferson, 5-1, in last year’s 9-10-11 state tournament in Hedgesville to advance to the championship where they were defeated by Barboursville 9-3.
West Virginia Little League Softball State Tournament
Charlie McCoy Town Park- Fayetteville, WV
Man 4, Sophia 0
Man 021 010- 4 8 1
Sophia 000 000- 0 4 2
Johnson and Mullins. Haga and Parks. Top hitters- M: Smith, L. 3-3, 3B, RBI; Caserta 2-3, 2 2B, 2 R; Johnson 1-3, 3B, RBI; Belcher 1-2, RBI. S: Jones 2-4, Lemon 1-2, McClaugherty 1-1.
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