Patrick County edged by Central Wise in state softball quarterfinals (2024)

BRIAN WOODSONBristol Herald Courier

NORTON - All was Wells for Wise County Central.

Chloe Wells collected two singles and drove in three runs to lead the Warriors to a 6-4 VHSL Class 2 state quarterfinal victory over Patrick County in a rain-delayed affair on Tuesday night to send the Warriors to the state semifinals for the first time in program history.

"It is a big step," Wise Central head coach Allison Shortt said. "We are a young bunch and it's great to be in those pressure situations and they handled it. We couldn't ask for anything else out of them."

Wise County Central (16-8) will face Randolph-Henry on Friday at Botetourt Sports Complex in Troutville.

"I am very excited," Wells said. "Coming in as a sophom*ore, I am not a freshman, but it is still very hard. You want to be leader, but it is very exciting. I am glad we get to make school history."

It took a while to make it happen. After Patrick County tied the score at 1-1 in the top of the third, the rain began to fall and it continued for a while. The Warriors gathered in the press box and discussed what needed to be done.

"It was very hard because we are very lazy, we can be lazy sometimes, every girl can be," said Wells, with a laugh. "We had a talk up there in the press box and we were like it is winner go home now so let's finish it out, get on top and stay on top."

They did.

"I think we were a little flat and then I think we picked it up," said Shortt, on the return to the field.

Back-to-back doubles by Sophie Fleming and lone senior Lauren Jackson produced two runs to put the Warriors up 3-1 after three innings against Patrick County senior pitcher Mckenzie Holt, who may have been affected by the one hour and 23 minute delay.

"They had a rain delay also," Patrick County head coach Ryan Pendleton said. "McKenzie usually gets stronger as she goes. She kind of had to regroup and start over. I am not taking anything away from them, they hit the ball very well. I think it affected us a little bit after that long drive. It was a good game. We had our chances."

Wise Central added two more in the fourth with two outs. Kaelyn Dales and Sophie Carter singled and Adele Dingus was hit by a pitch. Wells, the cleanup batter in the Warriors attack, followed with a shot down the left field line to drive in two runs and put the Warriors up 5-1.

"That is why she is where she is at hitting. That is where I want her," Shortt said. "I want the bat in her hands. I would put the bat in any nine of them, but she did her job, went deep into the count and got what we needed."

Dales, who scattered five hits, struck out 12 and walked four in the circle for the Warriors, ran into trouble in the fifth against the bottom of the Patrick County lineup, sparked by seventh hitter Maria Turner, who homered over the right field fence. Bryley Pike singled and Chloe Hubbard walked before Region 2C player of the year Journey Moore doubled to drive in a run, and Lauren Fulcher drove in a third run with a sacrifice fly to narrow the margin to 5-4.

"We felt good. We had [runners on] second and third and one out and she got tough on us and struck us out," Pendleton said.

Dales, who struck out the next two batters, retired eight of the final nine batters in the game, with the lone exception being a double by Moore, who was retired in a rundown while trying for third with one out in the seventh.

"We kind of gathered after their big run," Shortt said. "[Dales] bulldog-ed and went after it and hit her spots and did what we needed to get done. The defense played great on what they put into play."

"She did great today. She pitched a lot of pitches, but she definitely knows how to handle under pressure well, she does very well," added Wells.

Wise Central added an insurance run in the sixth, with Dales and Carter reaching on singles and Wells following with another RBI single.

"I have been in a slump a little bit, but I know hitting fourth you really have to use your momentum to get everybody else up," Wells said. "You are kind of looked to as a big hitter, but my RBIs were a big thing tonight.

"I was using everybody else's momentum in the dugout. Everybody was playing together, this is the best team chemistry we have had all year."

Wise Central out-hit the Cougars 12-5, scoring first in the bottom of the second on an RBI double by Lexi Powers, the ninth batter in the lineup, to score Jackson, who reached on a throwing error. Carter finished with three hits, while Wells, Dales and Dingus had two hits apiece. Dales scored twice, while Dingus was also hit by a pitch to reach base three times.

"They were pretty disciplined at the plate. We were looking for certain things. They did their jobs," Shortt said. "We played some close ball games this year and we had to come back or stay on top and keep at it. They just gathered, we refocused and knew that we needed to score some runs and we did."

Patrick County (17-7) tied the score before the rains fell on a double by Moore, who moved to third on a throwing error and scored on a ground ball out by Lilly Hazelwood. The Cougars will lose four starters to graduation, including Holt, but Moore, who had three doubles in the loss, will be back.

"I told them two weeks ago everybody you play now is going to be good or they wouldn't be here," Pendleton said.

Picked fourth in the Mountain 7 District prior to the season, the Warriors are the lone team of the bunch still playing.

"I don't think we expected to make it this far, but for most of us this is our seventh or eighth year playing together," Wells said. "We have grown up together, we know each other very well, our team chemistry is very, very good."

Wise Central has played especially well down the stretch, claiming the Mountain 7 and Region 2D tournament crowns at John Battle against the Trojans.

"I think we have a lot of key players," Shortt said. "It was just getting them firing on all cylinders coming together."