Pagett helps Wilson walk off with win

By Robert Sisk

Published: May 19, 2008

HARRISONBURG — After weeks of sorting the Shenandoah District finally has a softball champion.
In the final game of a three-team, two-game playoff, Wilson Memorial got its revenge on Page County, winning the regular season Shenandoah District championship 2-1 on Monday afternoon at Eastern Mennonite University.
“We got hits and got runners on base,” said Wilson catcher Leah Pagett. “I don’t even know what I’m talking about right now. Excitement, you know.”
The regular season ended in a three-way tie at the top with Wilson, Page and Luray all sporting two-loss seasons after the Panthers beat the Green Hornets in their final game of the season to force the tie.
Luray lost to Page in the first playoff game, while Wilson watched with a bye.
With three teams so close in ability, getting the automatic Region B bid was even more important. After locking up the regular season Wilson coach Maura Stout said that the extra competition made the year even more enjoyable.
“I didn’t put a lot of pressure on the girls about that,” said Wilson coach Maura Stout. “It wasn’t our main focus. Our focus was to play our opponent.
“I don’t think it’s been real tough it’s been fun. When you have good opponents that makes it exciting.”
In the last meeting the Panthers knocked off Wilson with small-ball fundamentals, but the Green Hornets wouldn’t bite again on Monday.
In the first inning the Panthers only needed six pitches from Wilson’s Summer Ramsey to break onto the scoreboard. Page leadoff hitter Megan Viafora hit a single to right field on the first pitch she saw. Viafora advanced to second on a rolling infield ground ball and moved to third on a wild pitch.
With one out Viafora scored the Panthers lone run on a Green Hornet infield error.
“Our morale was really high,” Pagett said. “We didn’t get down on ourselves we stayed focus.”
Wilson couldn’t respond in the bottom of the inning but climbed out of the gutter in the second. Pagett led off the inning with a booming solo blast over the left field fence, knotting the game.
The score did not change until the bottom of the seventh, when Pagett stepped up for the Wilson offense again.
With the score in a deadlock, Wilson desperately wanted to put the game away in the seventh and not risk giving Page another shot at the plate. With one out Amanda Bradley got the Wilson offense rolling with a single and advanced to
second on a wild pitch. Page pitcher Kristy McDaniel struck out Kayla Blair to give Wilson two outs, but walked Sammy Parker putting a runner on first and second.
Pagett went to the box with the winning run on second and ripped a shot into the gap at third allowing Bradley to score and give the Hornets the Region B berth.
“We want to come out in first,” Pagett said. “What team doesn’t?”