GPS Gets Repeat State Softball Title15 Runs. 19 Hits. 0 Errors. 1 Beatdown for the ages.
GPS scored 10 runs in the first 2 innings of Friday night's State Championship game and never looked back, winning its second straight State Championship and 5th in the last 11 years.
Early in the first it looked like GPS would be in for a fight after speedy lead off batter Tory Lewis flew out to center and equally fast Whitney Hammond struck out swinging. Jessica Phillips walked to give the Bruisers a base runner, bringing Kamri Chester to the plate. With the count 3 and 1, Chester swung and missed, then put her head down and trotted to the dugout, thinking she had struck out. With some help from her teammates, she found her way back to the plate. With a full count, Chester hammered a triple to left center, scoring Phillips and energizing the Black & Blue. Jackie Baird then drove one deep to right field that bounced over the fence for a ground rule double and another RBI for GPS. Amy Campbell was hit by a pitch giving GPS runners on first and second with CC Gordon at the plate. Gordon singled up the middle, scoring Katie Dorris who was running in relief of Baird. The Bruisers first at-bat came to a close on force out on Maddie Smith's sharply hit grounder to third. The first half inning gave GPS a nice 3 run lead and left the Lady Eagles of St. Benedict stunned. What they didn't know was that this was only the beginning.
In the bottom of the first, senior pitcher Megan Wagner promptly retired the first three batters on 2 ground-outs and a strikeout.
Megan Givens led off the second with a double, bringing up the top of the lineup for GPS. Lewis bunted, and it appeared that she would be thrown out at first. But on the throw, Givens took off for third. In an attempt to quickly get the out at first, St. Benedict's first baseman pulled off of the bag early while attempting to throw Givens out at third. With Hammond at the plate, Lewis stole 2nd. The throw to second was not even close to getting Lewis. Givens headed for home on the throw and slid in safely stretching the lead to 4-0. Hammond then knocked what should have been a routine single to left. But when Hammond rounded first, she never broke stride and jetted over to second base, just beating the throw. Lewis scored on the play to make it 5-0 Phillips then singled, scoring Hammond on a bad play at the plate. With Phillips on first, Chester crushed a ball over the left field wall for a 2 run homer, and the rout was on. GPS would add 2 more runs in the inning on RBI's by Smith and by Givens on her second at-bat of the inning. When the dust settled, GPS had recorded 7 runs on 7 hits, and led 10-0.
Campbell and Gordon added an RBI each in the 3rd inning to extend the lead to 12-0.
Wagner carried a no-hitter through 3 1/3 innings. After the lead off batter for St. Benedict popped out to start the 4th, Wagner gave up a double for the Lady Eagles' first hit of the game. A single to center advanced the runner to third. With runners at the corners and one out, the Lady Eagles were in position to break the shut out. But a grounder toward second was tracked down by Gordon, who quickly tagged the runner going to second, and gunned down the batter at first for a double play to end the inning and preserve the shutout for Wagner and GPS.
In the fifth, reserve Haylee Blalock started the inning with a walk, followed by base hits from subs Kourtney Kell and Katie Dorris. Lewis picked up another RBI and Phillips closed out her career with a 2 RBI single to right for the final margin of 15-0.
St. Benedict's final opportunity at the plate was a short one. Wagner struck out the first batter, then forced 2 ground outs to seal the victory for GPS.
VIDEO: The final out.
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