SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Winfield’s Mattie Caroll has established herself as one of top softball players in West Virginia, evidenced by garnering State Player of the Year honors last season.
Brooke found out the hard way in Tuesday’s Class AAA State Tournament contest.
Carroll was perfect across five innings and struck out 11 of the 15 batters she faced, while the Generals scored three runs in each of their first two trips to the plate in an 8-0 five-inning win against the Bruins at The Rock Field B at Little Creek Park.
“If you draw it up like that, you’re going to get a pretty good result,” Winfield coach Steve Hensley said. “She’s a special and talented pitcher. She exemplifies that through her work ethic and who she is as a person and her character. I’m proud to see her have a game like this at the state tournament.”
No. 2 Winfield (25-10) produced the first run when Madeline Taylor worked a bases loaded walk, and that advantage grew to three moments later courtesy of Ellla Black’s two-run single.
While that would have been enough support for Carroll, the three-time defending state champion Generals continued to add to their advantage in the second starting with Brooklyn Cole’s two-run triple. Carroll then helped her cause with a single to score Cole, leaving BHS (18-15) with a 6-0 deficit.
“Throughout the season, we try to take the same approach. You have to win what your day is in,” Hensley said. “Today is Tuesday and we have to win this thing with Brooke and then we can refocus and start all over again tomorrow.”
Bruins’ pitcher Avery Rado retired Winfield in order in the third, but the Generals added two more in the fourth, scoring a run on Carroll’s triple and another on Taylor’s double for the eight-run advantage.
Carroll struck out the first two batters of the fifth and induced a game-ending ground ball to third off the bat of Emma Bober to end it early.
“They have a stud pitcher and she was hitting her mark,” Brooke coach Thomas Diserio said. “She throws very well and they’re fundamentally sound. We just have to play better ball.”
Carroll and Taylor had two hits apiece to combine for half of Winfield’s eight knocks.
Rado walked three and did not record a strikeout.
Brooke will battle PikeView later Tuesday in an elimination game, while Winfield will meet a familiar foe in Herbert Hoover in a winner’s bracket matchup Wednesday.
“We have to have short memories,” Diserio said, “and be ready to come back tonight and play another game.”