The Columbia Lady Wildcats had already surpassed their goal from the beginning of the season — make the playoffs — by sweeping Southeast Lauderdale in the first round heading into last week, but they took it another step further.
Their second-round matchup with Morton was much more competitive than the first, but the Lady Wildcats pulled off their second consecutive playoff sweep, besting Morton 9-6 at home Tuesday and 10-9 in extra innings at Morton Friday to advance to the South State semifinals.
“It was real special. It took us eight innings, but we never quit and never gave up,” head coach Greg Arnold said. “We worked hard and finished the task. Everybody is hitting, and we’re doing well.”
With a trip to the South State Championship series on the line, the Lady Wildcats began its best-of-three series with Choctaw Central Monday night in Philadelphia and will have to climb out of an early hole to advance. Choctaw Central flexed its offensive firepower early with nine runs through three innings and had 10 hits for the game in its 10-3 Game 1 victory over Columbia.
“Choctaw girls are fast. They bunt the ball well and play defense really well,” Arnold said. “We have to do a little bit better job defensively. Our bats are fine; we just made a few errors. This late in the playoffs those little errors are going to hurt you.”
Columbia hosted Games 2 and 3, if necessary, Wednesday, but results were unavailable at press time. Before the matchup in Columbia, head coach Greg Arnold said being at home for two games could really benefit the Lady Wildcats.
“Their field is a lot different than ours and a lot deeper. There was a couple of hits last night that probably would have been home runs at our place, so we’ll see how it turns out,” he said. “It’s always nice to have the home-field advantage, and we have it. We just have to take care of business in Game 2 to force a Game 3.”
While Arnold acknowledged the potential significance of reaching South State with a series win over Choctaw, he said the coaching staff and supporters of the program are already proud of the Lady Wildcats for exceeding their initial goals.
Through four innings in Game 1 against Morton, the two squads were locked into a pitcher’s duel with the Lady Wildcats clinging to a slim 2-1 lead. Then Columbia got the bats rolling with four runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to extend their lead to 9-1 heading into the final frame. But Morton refused to go quietly into the night, hanging five runs on the board before Kacey Stampley finally closed the door on the statement win.
Elizabeth Byrd had herself a day to remember at the dish, cranking the first home run of her Columbia career as part of a 3-for-3 outing with 2 RBI. Leah Nolan also cleared the fence for her third homer and drove in two, while Abby King plate a pair of runs as well. Stampley dominated both at the plate and in the circle, finishing a home run away from the cycle and striking out six in a complete game victory.
Game 2 followed a similar path as Columbia worked through much of the game with a lead, while the Lady Panthers scratched and clawed their way back. Columbia led 7-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth, but Morton struck for two runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh to send the game to extra innings. Columbia appeared to wrap things up quickly in the eighth with three runs, but Morton rallied to score two runs to make it a one-run ball game before Stampley once again slammed the door shut.
Stampley showed off her two-way prowess once again with a perfect 4-for-4 performance with 2 RBI to go along with eight strikeouts in another complete game victory in the circle. Nolan ripped a pair of doubles, as well as a single, and had 4 RBI to lead the Lady Wildcats. Madalynn Williamson had a double and a single, and Brianna Boyd plated a run.
Pictured Above: Columbia catcher McKinley Newcomer throws down to second base. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
