A 13-0 blanking of Valliant secured the District 3A-8 championship for the Kingston Lady Redskin softball team which followed with a dominant triumph over Marshall County rival Madill.
Coach Aaron Minor’s unit split a pair of challenging road games with Newcastle and Bridge Creek to close the regular season going into this week’s regional playoffs, which they will host in Kingston.
The Lady Redskins didn’t waste any time in notching the only run they would need with a Kanna Stroud first inning solo home run but Kingston was far from finished offensively. They tacked on two more in the second stanza after Ava Bain doubled and cruised home on an Emma Bridgeman insidethe- park homer.
Fivemorerunsinthethird and fourth stanzas ended the contest early with Gracie Bridgman twirling a one-hit shutout which included eight strikeouts.
Stroud two doubles as well to finish with a team-high three hits. Bridgeman, Madi Hammond and Keeton Hatley chipped in two hits apiece.
Kingston asserted its muscle immediately against Madill, reeling off 10 runs in the opening stanza en route to an 11-0 route.
The Lady Redskin bats were on fire as seven of their 11 hits went for extra bases including a home run and double from both Kate Ratzlaff and Dextry Bowerman. Destry Davis contributed a two-run homer, Madi Hammond tripled in another run and Gracie Bridgman chipped in a double.
Stroud worked all four innings in the pitching circle, scattering three hits while fanning one batter.
Runs were much more at apremium asKingston came up short in a narrow 3-1 loss to Class 4A Newcastle. The Lady Redskins snagged a 1-0 first inning lead as Ratzlaff singled and came around to score on a Stroud ground out but that was all the scoring production. Bain tallied a double in the contest.
The Lady Redskins rebounded by dispatching Bridge Creek by a 6-2 count. Khloe Hall got the pitching start and tossed six solid innings, allowing two runs on eight hits.
Leading the offensive charge was Stroud’s three hits with Ratzlaff and Bain adding two apiece.