No. 2 MoCo overwhelms No. 4 Chix with Stix for Hot Mamas championship

By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com Emily Hamilton goes on the offensive for MoCo's Most Wanted against Where My Pitches At?! in a Hot Mamas Softball League semifinal game.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Emily Hamilton goes on the offensive for MoCo’s Most Wanted against Where My Pitches At?! in a Hot Mamas Softball League semifinal game.

Previous coverage
* Day 2 of tournament play
* Tournament schedule set
* Opening Day

ELLERBE — When Trisha Mabe crossed home plate in the bottom of the second inning, she was greeted by MoCo’s Most Wanted teammate Donna Bartrug.

Bartrug was not happy.

“You gotta quit doing this to me,” Bartrug exclaimed.

You see, Mabe hit the ball. Hard. And as Bartrug had reached base just before Mabe, Bartrug had no choice but to run — because Mabe was right behind her.

Of course, Bartrug’s request came with a smile, as Mabe’s two inside-the-park home runs in each of the first two innings helped propel No. 2 MoCo’s Most Wanted to a 22-9 win over No. 4 Chix with Stix in the Hot Mamas Softball League championship game Thursday night at Parsons Field in Ellerbe.

MoCo’s raced to a 6-1 lead after the first inning, led by Mabe’s three-run homer and RBI doubles from Lydia Johnson and Kim Ussery. MoCo’s scored another seven runs in the bottom of the second, and the route was on.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

With a 6-2 lead, Michelle Hunsucker led off MoCo’s second inning with a walk. Karen Martin grounded into a fielder’s choice that was misplaced and Tuwana Williams followed with an RBI grounder up the middle. Lindsay Miller hit a two-run inside-the-park homer for a 9-2 MoCo’s lead and then Emily Hamilton followed with a two-run homer over the fence for an 11-2 advantage before Mabe hit her second inside-the park-homer in as many innings and at-bats.

Things didn’t get better for Chix with Stix in the third, as MoCo’s continued to bash the ball around the field at will and a steady light rain made defensive play difficult.

In the third with a 13-3 lead, Williams hit a two-run double and move to third on an error. Miller slapped a run-scoring triple and Laura Lemons battered a pitch for an RBI double and an 18-3 lead. Hamilton followed with a grounder through the shortstop for a 19-3 edge.

Chix with Stix coach Max Gardner, who doubles as league commissioner, reminded his players in the fourth inning that there was no 10-run mercy rule in the championship game. The Chix did what they could with the Stix but it wasn’t enough.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com Lindsa Miller, of MoCo's Most Wanted, heads toward third, then home, en route to MoCo's 13-10 win over Where My Pitches At?! in a semifinal game Thursday at Parsons Field in Ellerbe.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Lindsa Miller, of MoCo’s Most Wanted, heads toward third, then home, en route to MoCo’s 13-10 win over Where My Pitches At?! in a semifinal game Thursday at Parsons Field in Ellerbe.

The Chix took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Amy Berry slammed a liner back to the mound to score Nikki Sweatt. They scored again in the second. Kaitlyn Gardner led off with a double and speedy Robyn David beat out a grounder to first base. With two outs, Chix pitcher Loretta Sears helped her cause by mashing an RBI grounder past the shortstop to pull the Chix within 6-2.

Down 13-2 after two innings, the Chix scored one more time in the top of the third when singles by Sweatt and Jennifer Cline put runners on the corners. Berry hit a two-out single to score Sweatt.

Trailing 19-3, the Chix tacked on three runs in the top of the fourth but by then the game was out of hand.

Chix coach Max Gardner felt the game might have been out of reach even for his “Cardiac Chix” squad. Before the top of the sixth inning, Gardner pulled his team aside.

“Win, lose or draw, it’s been a great season,” Gardner said. “I love you.”

MoCo’s Most Wanted 13
Where My Pitches At?! 10

In the only semifinal game played on the field — the top-seeded E-Lemon-ators withdrew from the tournament and forfeited their game against Chix with Stix due to a lack of available players — MoCo’s Most Wanted outlasted Where My Pitches At? by a score of 13-10.

Trail 4-3 after two and one-half innings of play, MoCo’s broke the game open with a seven-run third inning, highlighted by a two-run triple by Nancy Reza and a two-run double from Lydia Johnson. Donna Bartrug and Kia Davis added run-scoring doubles for MoCo’s.

Down 3-2 after the first inning, Wendy Brown hit a solo home run to knot the game 3-3 in the top of the second before MoCo’s broke loose in the third for seven runs and a 10-4 advantage.

WMPA scored once in the fourth on Brown’s RBI single and twice in the fifth on Melissa Dennis’ two-run home run.

MoCo’s led 13-7 after five innings and WMPA made it interesting with a three-run scoring burst in the top of the sixth and final inning.

Summer Burgess hit a two-run double to score Shannon Huff and Michelle Burgess to pull within 13-9 and Summer Burgess scored on a sacrifice fly by Diane Mabe for the final margin.

 

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