CHARLESTON, W.Va. — George Washington claimed their first Mountain State Athletic Conference softball championship with a 7-4 victory over Cabell Midland Wednesday night at John Adams Middle School.
Katy Darnell hit a pair of home runs and Brianna McCown added a 3-run homer as the Patriots made the most of their opportunities with runners in scoring position. GW had only five hits in the contest but the three homers accounted for six of their seven runs.
“That has been their MO all year, get a couple (runners) on and hit a dinger,” said George Washington head coach Kim Darby. “I will take a dinger any day we can get it.”
The Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles from Gracie Hightower and Reilly Lucas. The Patriots answered with a 4-run first inning and they would not trail the rest of the way. Cabell Midland evened the score at 4-4 with two runs in the second. But the Patriots used a 3-run fourth inning to take a lead they would not relinquish.
Emma Groe had the other two hits for the Patriots (23-5). Hightower and Kirya Kingery each had multi-hit games for the Knights (19-9).
After allowing four runs in the first two innings, McCown kept the Knights off the scoreboard over the final five innings. She retired fifteen of the last eighteen batters she faced.
“We just told her to go throw some snaps and get something working and she made it happen,” Darby said.
The Patriots are one of the favorites to win their region and advance to the state tournament but Darby says the MSAC championship is significant.
“This group of seniors has been setting the tone since they were freshmen. This team has been making history for the last four years and this is another feather in the cap. It is not the ultimate goal. But it is a nice start to where we want to be.”