(Williamsburg) Williamsburg set the tone early with two runs in the bottom of the first inning, en route to a 7-0 victory over Atlantic in a Class 3A Regional Final softball game at Williamsburg on Tuesday night.
Rylee Vercande led off the bottom of the first inning with a deep home run over the centerfield fence; Shannon Finn followed with a single, stole a base, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a ground ball to put the home team up 2-0.
Raider’s pitcher Peyton Driscoll pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out 13-batters while walking two. Zoey Kirchhoff picked up the loss allowing seven runs on eight hits and four walks in five innings of work. Riley Wood came in relief, allowing no runs on no hits.
Rylie Metz drilled a double and scored on a ground ball in the second inning to put the Raiders up 3-0. Williamsburg extended the lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the third. Elle Ridgeway and Rylie Metz drove in two of the three runs for the Raiders. Jenna Thurm’s RBI double pushed the lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Driscoll retired the final eleven straight Trojan hitters to close out the win.
The Trojans say goodbye to two seniors, Malena Woodward and Ava Bruckner. Atlantic Head Coach Terry Hinzmann commended the seniors for all they put into the program. Woodward stroked the two Trojan hits in three at-bats.
Hinzmann says despite the loss, the younger players learned from the experience, which should bode well for them moving forward.
Vercande homered, Ridgeway and Metz each hit a double and a single, Finn stroked two singles, and Jenna Thurm hit a double for Williamsburg.
Williamsburg enters the Class 3A State Softball Tournament as the number three seed. The (32-10) Raiders face off against six-seeded Sioux Center at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Sioux Center is (22-9).
