Page County softball only team still alive in postseason play
By Randy Arrington
SHENANDOAH, June 2 — Solid pitching and consistent hitting lead the Page County softball team to its 20th win on Monday. The Panthers advanced to Wednesday’s Region 2B semifinals after a 3-1 win over Stuarts Draft in Monday’s quarterfinal.
Following losses by three Luray teams and PCHS boys soccer on Monday, the top-seeded Page softball team (20-3) is now the only county team still alive in the postseason.
Summer Pence continues to dominate from inside the circle. The freshman retired 14 straight batters on Monday before an error at first base allowed the Cougars’ first base runner in the fifth. Pence carried a perfect game through 4-2/3 innings of the region quarterfinal and ended up allowing one earned run off three hits and one error, while striking out 12 and walking one.
At the plate, the Panthers achieved something unique — while six of nine batters in the lineup recorded at least one hit, none of them recorded a strikeout. During 28 at-bats, the Panthers put the ball in play 26 times, with the other two appearances ending in walks. Page recorded a total of eight hits for the game and stranded eight runners on base.
Senior catcher Emma Lucas went 2-for-3 at the plate, with two singles and an RBI. Sophomore Kayla Pence also went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Summer Pence recorded the other RBI in the game after going 1-for-3 with a single.
Emma gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead in the third inning off her single to right field. Summer added one in the fourth off a single to centerfield.
Stuarts Draft got its only run in the fifth off a double by junior Allyson Lunsford, who went 2-for-3 on the day. Senior Madyson Mason recorded the only other hit for the Cougars in the sixth, a bunt single. Draft had a total of three hits and stranded five runners. The winning run came to the plate in the seventh with runners on first and second before the last out was made. Draft ends the season at 10-11.
Top-seeded Page County (20-3) next hosts No. 4 Strasburg (15-7) for a Region 2B semifinal at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4 at Alan Knight Field. The Hall of Fame coach and the Panthers are tough at home. They defeated Strasburg, 6-0, when the Rams visited on May 9. They also beat them, 4-2, at Strasburg on April 15.
The winner of Wednesday’s region semifinal will earn a ticket to the VHSL Class 2 State Softball Tournament next week, as well as the region championship on Friday. The other Region 2B semifinal features No. 2 Ft. Defiance (15-5) from the Shenandoah District, hosting No. 3 Central of Woodstock (19-2).
QUARTERFINAL ROUND SCORES
- #1 Page County 3, #8 Stuarts Draft 1
- #2 Fort Defiance 8, #7 Riverheads 3
- #3 Central 4, #6 Clarke 1
- #4 Strasburg 4, #5 Buckingham 1
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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