THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Parkersburg South High School Athletics

NEWS

PHS wins over South

Photo Credit: Jay W. Bennett

PHS WINS OVER SOUTH

PARKERSBURG — No. 3 seed Parkersburg eliminated top-seeded and rival Parkersburg South from the Class AAA, Region IV, Section 1 tournament here Wednesday evening at Godbey Field as the Big Reds rallied past the Patriots to win a wild 16-14 affair. Second-seeded Ripley (14-9) scored six runs in the top of the seventh on Tuesday night to hand PSHS (9-13) its first sectional setback. Now, the Vikings will play host to the Big Reds (10-11) at 6 p.m. today and must emerge victorious in order to force a winner-take-all sectional championship showdown at 6 p.m. Friday back at Godbey Field. “We’re lucky to win that one,” admitted Big Red boss Jason Roberts, whose squad trailed 14-10 entering the top of the seventh and was still down 14-11 with no one on and two outs before the improbable rally. “We got lucky tonight, but we’ll take it. “Those girls at South played hard and they are well coached. I know most of those kids since they were young. We knew it was going to be tough, but I did not expect my defense (seven errors) to play that bad.” Maddi Leggett started the seventh and reached via a three-base error. Although Maggie Sauers registered a sacrifice fly to make it 14-11, Kacee Roberts flew out and the red and white were down to their final out. However, the Patriots opted to intentionally walk Big Red freshman catcher Emily Allen for the third time. Following a free pass to Lexi Summers, Maggie Richards had a two-run double to right-center. South had a chance to end the game and win by a run, but Janna Yost reached via one of the Patriots’ seven errors. Courtesy runner Caitlyn McIntosh later scored and the Big Reds got an RBI infield single from No. 9 hitter Brooklyn Figley as well as a bases-loaded RBI base on balls from Sauers. “We were up and did the same thing last night,” noted South head coach Cindi Taylor, who watched losing pitcher Ashlee Ellison go 4 for 4 with a triple and four RBIs. “We just got to get better. I can say we are young, but when you score 14 runs you got to be able to win the game. “We had them two out and should’ve had an out. You can’t give a good hitting team an extra out and that gave them the momentum they needed. We hit well this year. We just couldn’t finish.” PHS bolted out to a 3-0 cushion behind consecutive two-baggers from Leggett and Sauers as well as a two-run tater from Allen, who also singled in the fourth in her only other official at-bat. The hosts got two back in the bottom of the first thanks to run-scoring singles by Paige Winans, who had a web gem in the sixth when she made a diving catch to rob Richards, and Allie Taylor. South appeared to take control after a seven-run second which featured two-run singles by Ellison and Kelly Amos, a two-run double by Makayla Hannah as well as an RBI knock by Makayla Sirk. The 9-3 lead was short-lived as the Big Reds put up seven of their own in the top of the third, all of which were charged to Hannah, who entered after Ellison had pitched the first two innings. Summers had a two-run triple and then the Big Reds had four straight RBI singles thanks to Yost, winning pitcher Kenzie Riddle, Figley and Leggett. After Ellison came back in, she got a 6-4-3 double play and another web gem from a diving Winans, who robbed Roberts. Parkersburg wasted a big opportunity in the top of the fourth as Allen and Summers singled before Richards drew a free pass to load the bases. However, Ellison got out of the jam unscathed. In the last of the fourth, the Patriots extended their advantage to 13-10 thanks in part to a trio of Big Red errors. Aurora Slusher had an RBI while Ellison had a two-run triple. Slusher also scored in the sixth to make it 14-10 after she reached on a fielder’s choice and eventually crossed the plate during a rundown. Taylor, who finished 4 for 5, started the bottom of the seventh with a double, but Riddle retired Alexis Feick and Hannah before the center fielder Richards made a charging falling-down catch on a ball hit by Sirk, who went 3 for 5, to end it.

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