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Feeling good
West Central wins regional opener, 4-1
WINCHESTER — Nobody could quite remember the last time the West Central softball team won a regional game before Monday’s opening-round clash with South Fulton.
Now they won’t have to look back so far.
West Central (12-11), the No. 6 seed in the South Fulton Regional, got a solid outing from freshman pitcher Dakota Nicholson and three runs batted in from senior Lauryn Shipley as the Lady Cougars rolled to a 4-1 win over No. 7 South Fulton (4-21) Monday in Winchester.
“It feels good,” said Nicholson, who allowed just three hits and one run over seven innings. “We haven’t had one for awhile, so it feels good to get another win.”
West Central first-year coach Jodie DeGroot felt the same way.
“The seniors said they can’t remember having won one in their four years here, and I don’t have the stats in front of me, but it’s a big win for the program,” she said.
West Central got on the board first with two runs in the fourth inning. Leadoff hitter Danielle Wade started the inning with an infield single, and Cassie Anslyn followed with a single of her own. Nicholson then hit a grounder to South Fulton’s pitcher, Jessica Belleville, but Belleville’s throw to third base was dropped by Abbie Hendee.
Shipley then notched her first RBI with a sacrifice fly, and Anslyn was thrown out tagging from second. But senior Diana Hubbert came through with a two-out RBI to put the Lady Cougars up 2-0.
Nicholson held the Lady Rebels hitless through five innings to keep the Lady Cougars ahead until shortstop Stassi Stracker led off the sixth with a single. Two passed balls and a single from Breanna Cameron allowed Stracker to score, pulling the Lady Rebels to within one run at 2-1.
West Central tacked on some insurance in the bottom of the sixth, however, when Shipley hit a two-run double over the center fielder’s head.
“It feels pretty good. It’s my last year, so it just feels pretty good,” Shipley said. “I just feel like I did good for my team.”
Nicholson kept the South Fulton bats quiet in the seventh, allowing only a one-out single to Brandy Shaeffer. The freshman said the insurance runs helped her out.
“You just like to add more runs on,” said Nicholson, who walked four and struck out 11. “When we add more, it makes me feel more comfortable out on the mound.”
Wade went 3-for-3 for West Central with a run scored, and Nicholson scored two runs herself.
Belleville (4-19) took the loss for South Fulton. Stracker, Cameron and Schaeffer collected the only hits for the Lady Rebels.
“They’ve got a pretty decent pitcher and I think she made quite a bit of difference,” said South Fulton coach Kristi Reller. “She’s a young, confident pitcher, and that’s a nice asset to have.”
The loss kept South Fulton from playing at its own regional tournament, which continues today with West Central facing top seed Griggsville-Perry at 4:30 p.m.
With a little momentum going after Monday’s win, the Lady Cougars will be hoping to pull an upset.
“The girls have come a long way since the beginning of the season,” DeGroot said. “We’ve had some rough stretches where we didn’t win a whole lot of games. We’ve also had some pretty good stretches where we won several in a row. We can beat anybody if it’s on the right day.”
