The way Shelby Willard is pitching these days for the Central Lady Pounders, any game is a potential special one.
The author of a perfect game earlier in the District 6-AA softball tournament at Warner Park, the sophomore may have pitched even better in Thursday’s championship game.
Willard scattered three soft hits, struck out 17 and did not walk a batter as Central defeated a tired East Ridge team 8-0.
Central (24-10) will host Polk County in a Region 3 semifinal Monday. East Ridge will play at 6 p.m. at Meigs County (35-6), which beat Polk 8-2 fir the District 5 championship.
The Lady Pioneers needed nine innings and nearly three hours to defeat Red Bank in the losers-bracket final preceding the championship game. The extra wait didn’t seem to affect Willard: After allowing a leadoff single to Abby Johnson, she struck out the next 10 East Ridge batters.
“She was on her game, hitting her spots,” Central coach LeeAnne Shurette said. “Our defense played well also. She just settled in and did her job. We were a little sluggish and flat at the start, but I don’t really think they felt it was going to be easy. We had warmed up and that game kept dragging on and on, so I had to get them up and going again.”
The Central bats slowly awoke in the second inning against East Ridge pitcher Amanda Flynn with four singles, including an RBI hit from Sammie Braley, for a 2-0 lead. The lead grew to four in the third on Jade Stoker’s run-scoring hit and an RBI groundout from Casey Reese. That was more than enough for Willard, who says the Pounders won’t be satisfied with just winning the district title.
“We got it together after that long delay,” she said. “I’m glad I have a good defense behind me because it’s no big deal if they get a hit. They were probably a little tired, but that doesn’t mean anything. This district championship means a lot and I hope this is the first one of many. It’s nice, but the big goal is to win our last game.”
Stoker, Ciera Belcher and Hannah Powell had three hits each in the team’s 13-hit attack. Powell drove in two runs, while Belcher scored twice for Central.
Meigs County’s lead was one run until it broke loose for five runs in the sixth inning.
“We didn’t hit it very well for five innings, or at least hit it right at them,” Meigs coach Jeff Davis said. “We were pulling a lot of outside pitches.”
As for winning pitcher Brooke Melhorn, it was business as usual.
“They hit it and we caught it,” Davis said. “She doesn’t strike out a lot, but she doesn’t walk anybody.”
Lynsey Million sparked the Lady Tigers with a triple, a single, three RBIs and two runs scored. Ashley Shaver had a run-scoring double and an RBI single.