BY CLIFF SMELLEY
A two-run seventh inning by the Keystone Heights High School softball team tied it up, but the Indians lost 4-3 to top seed Newberry on a bases-loaded hit batter in the bottom of the eighth in the District 5-2A championship game on May 1 in Keystone.
Newberry (20-5) earned an automatic berth in the Region 2 playoffs, which begin with quarterfinal games on Wednesday, May 7. The second seed Indians (9-16) will wait to see if they earn an at-large bid.
Keystone scored the first run in the top of the third. Kadence Massey hit a one-out double and scored on a single hit by Amber Wagner. A pop-up to first and a fly out to right left Wagner stranded at second.
Massey, who pitched a complete game, didn’t allow a hit in the first three innings, but the Panthers began the fourth with a triple by Gracie Mattson. Malana Kennard followed with a double that scored Mattson and evened it up at 1-1.
The inning continued for Newberry, with Kennard advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt by Tristan Layfield and then scoring on a Chloe Jones single. An error allowed Jones to advance to third, setting her up to score on a bunt by Sarah Priester, putting the Panthers up 3-1.
Massey, who struck out nine, wouldn’t allow another hit.
Keystone, which finished with six hits, would have only two in the final four innings, though one was a double by Massey in the seventh that tied the score.
Madi Glinski was hit by a pitch to lead off that inning. After a foul pop-up to the catcher, Glinski advanced to second on a passed ball before Tayler Buchanan reached on an error. An infield pop-up resulted in the second out before Massey stepped to the plate and drove an 0-1 pitch into center field to score both Glinski and Buchanan and make it a 3-3 game.
Massey retired the three batters she faced in the bottom of the seventh on a fly out and two straight strikeouts.
In extra innings, the batting team starts with a runner placed on second. After a strikeout to begin the top of the eighth, Keystone’s Wagner, who was on second, was able to move to third on a ground out by Audry Cisco. An infield pop-up, though, ended the inning.
Newberry began the bottom of the eighth with a ground out, but a walk drawn by Kennard and a ground ball hit by Layfield loaded the bases. Jones was hit by a pitch on a 1-1 count to force the winning run home.
Massey, Wagner and Bella Cumbo had all of the Indians’ hits, with each going 2 for 4.
