MINFORD — The Portsmouth West Lady Senators shocked the Minford Lady Falcons Friday evening, beating them 11-7 and moving on to the next round of the tournament.
The Lady Senators entered the fifth inning down by a run, but managed to string together a big six run inning to take the lead. Terra Butcher capped off the inning with a two run homer.
Minford would answer back, scoring four runs of their own in the bottom of the firth, to bring the game within one run, 8-7. West would solidify their victory in the seventh, scoring another three runs and keeping Minford off the scoreboard the rest of the game.
Kassidy Parr, Tara Butcher and Makayla White all had big days at the plate for West. Parr went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Butcher had a home run while going 2-for-3 with a walk, while White went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a triple.
“Parr was a game changer for us,” said Senators softball coach Dani Coleman. “Her, Makayla and Terra Butcher were very clutch at the plate. The fifth inning was just so big for us.”
Taylor Coleman pitched a complete game, giving up nine hits and seven runs while striking out seven Falcons in the winning effort. Coleman now has 11 wins on the season.
West is now 11-7 and find themselves as the favorite in the next round, where they will face off against the New Lexington Panthers. The Panthers are coming off their own upset of the Wellston Rockets.
“We have learned to never take anything lightly,” Coleman said. “Your opponent can beat you on any given night. Luckily, we have a good coaching staff and we do some really good scouting. We really study analytics and change up our pitching and defense based on who we face. So we will be ready for the next round.”
West hopes to keep their Cinderella story alive.
“There have been losses that have been tough for us,” Coleman said. “Some of them shouldn’t have happened, but we have a young team that has done some learning as the season went on. We are a good, dedicated group and I think they showed so much heart beating Minford. We suffered two losses to them earlier in the year and we came back strong against them. That’s how the SOC is, though.
“I love these girls, this win is a true testament to their work ethic. They always come out with a lot to prove and eager to learn. I’m excited to move on.”
West travels to Unioto High School in Chillicothe to face off against New Lexington Thursday, May 18th. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 P.M.
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