VIENNA — Sherman wrapped up one of the more impressive showings at a state softball tournament with Thursday’s 8-0 win over Wheeling Central in the Class A championship.
Over three state tournament games, the Tide outscored opponents 23-1, including 16-1 in a pair of wins over Central.
The Maroon Knights had won the last three Class A championships, while eliminating Sherman the last two seasons.
“We wanted to play them in the first game right off the bat,” junior pitcher Autumn Thompson said. “We were ready to go and we had everything going. After yesterday we were like, ‘We want to play them again and give them two losses.’”
Sherman (33-4) secured its first softball title thanks in large part to Thompson, who led off with a home run after retiring the Maroon Knights in order in the first inning.
“If we start off hitting, we all hit, so I just knew I had to do something.”
By the time Wheeling Central (15-9) came to bat again, it trailed 3-0 after a Katlyn Jenkins RBI single and Sydnee Ferrell sacrifice fly.
“It put a little bit of pressure on us and our girls didn’t need any more of that today,” Central coach Buck Davidson said.
Jenkins reached on an error in the third inning and scored on a wild pitch that upped the lead to 4-0, which was more than enough run support for Thompson.
She retired the side in order in the second, struck out the side in the third and fanned two more in the fourth to give her eight punchouts up to that point.
“My freshman year and last year, we came here and Wheeling Central knew what I was going to do the entire time,” Thompson recalled. “I threw outside the whole time. All summer and all winter, I practiced on moving the ball and where I should place different pitches. I came in thinking I had to throw all my pitches and couldn’t just throw one.”
Central managed only two hits through four innings — singles by Maggie Fahey and Ally Davidson, neither of which advanced beyond first base.
Sherman added to its lead two with two more runs in the fourth as the bottom of its lineup came through to help add inusrance. No. 8 hitter Amber Maloskey drew a walk, while nine hitter Cloey Toney singled.
Thompson’s sacrifice fly drove home Maloskey, while Toney scored on an error to increase the lead to 6-0.
The Tide ended the contest early with two more runs in the sixth. Thompson reached on an error to lead off the inning before scoring on a wild pitch. Haylee Clendenin and Jenkins followed with consecutive singles to bring an end to Central’s run as Class A champion.
In two wins over the Maroon Knights at states, Thompson struck out 22 and did not issue a base-on-balls.
“She’s a good pitcher and she’s hard to figure out,” Davidson said. “We only had maybe one or two solid hits off of her all game. They’re just a better team right now. Take our hats off to them.
“A lot of people in the state of West Virginia didn’t think we’d be in the position that we were in, and there are a lot of other teams in single-A softball that wish they would have been lined up on the field playing today.”
Maddy LeMasters suffered the loss for Central. LeMasters got the start in the pitching circle after taking over in the in the fourth inning earlier Thursday and helping her team preserve a win over Clay-Battelle.
Thompson finished with 11 strikeouts and scattered three hits in six shutouts innings.
With the win, Sherman claimed its first state championship in any sport.
