Hornets dismantle Page County

By Bill Meade Correspondent
Published: May 22, 2008

BRIDGEWATER — All season long, Wilson battled with Page County and Luray on the Shenandoah District’s ladder of success.
But in the district tournament championship game Thursday, the Green Hornets clearly emerged on the top rung.
Wilson’s 12-1 victory over Page was a masterful blend of pitching, hitting, baserunning and defense and gave the Hornets the tournament championship trophy to go with their regular season championship.
“We were heads-up on the bases,” said Wilson coach Maura Stout. “Every time we had a chance to take an extra base we did. We kept them on edge.”
The Panthers scored their lone run in the first inning when Megan Viafora smacked a single, was sacrificed to second on a bunt by Rachel Breeden and came home on a single by Danni Short.
But Wilson senior Summer Ramsey shut down the Panthers the rest of the game, allowing only three Page hits the rest of the way.
Wilson (19-2) answered immediately in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice.
Amanda Bradley singled and alertly motored all the way to third on a stolen base and an overthrow. She scored on Kristian Carden’s sacrifice bunt. After Sammy Parker walked, Sara Toman doubled her in.
The Hornets broke the game open with three runs in the third on a Carden walk, a double by Leah Pagett, a sacrifice fly by Toman, an RBI-double by Debbie Groves and Caitlyn Turner’s run-scoring single.
Wilson completed the scoring in the fourth, dropping seven more runs on the Panthers.
Bradley legged out a leadoff triple, followed by a walk to Parker, and base hits by Pagett, Groves, Turner, Carrie Mawyer, Kayla Blair and Bradley, as the Hornets batted around.
For the game, Wilson pounded out 13 hits, with Bradley leading the way with three.
Ramsey struck out six batters while going the distance without giving up a walk.
Wilson now hosts the loser of the Madison County and Clarke County game in the first round of the Region B Tournament, slated to begin Monday.
The Hornets placed Bradley, Ramsey, Toman and Pagett on the Shenandoah All-District first team and Groves was selected to the second team.
Buffalo Gap junior Lauren McCutcheon was selected as a first-team outfielder, while teammates Lindsey McGuffin and Hannah Farrish were chosen on the second team along with Amanda Miller of Rivereheads.
Notes: Luray’s Misty Judd was chosen as Shenandoah District Player of the Year and Bulldogs’ first-year coach Charlie Turner was selected Coach of the Year.