Warlassies walk off with 14h straight win
Owen clinches conference title in home victory over Madison
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 3, 2024
As the ping of Mia Roland’s bat echoed around the softball field at Owen, May 2, a pair of Warlassies baserunners watched the ball sail over the fence in right centerfield. As the freshman shortstop trotted around third base, her teammates gathered around home plate, ready to celebrate her 7th home run of the season and the Owen softball team’s first Western Highlands Conference championship since 2011.
The Warlassies won their 14th straight game with a convincing 14-3 performance against Madison, ending the regular season in style.
Owen, which closed out its campaign with an 18-2 record and an 11-1 mark in the conference, scored runs early and often against the visiting Patriots.
All nine Warlassies registered plate appearances in the first inning, as pitcher Sophie Neal led off with a double, after retiring the visiting team in order in the first half of the frame. Roland, who finished the evening with 3 hits in 4 at bats, knocked in her first of 5 runs batted in with a double. A sharp single off the bat of sophomore Elly Wright brought Roland home, but the biggest blow of the inning came when freshman Payten Brockman stepped to the plate with Wright and Easton Whitson on base.
The left fielder blasted her fourth home run of the season to increase Owen’s lead to 5-0, while the Warlassies added another run later in the inning. The home offense brought its bats out again in the second, as Owen established a 10-0 advantage.
Madison responded with runs in the third and fourth inning, but the powerful Warlassies offense closed the door with an 11-run lead in the fifth, triggering the run rule to end the game early.
The victory gave Owen at least a share of the top spot in the WHC. The team hasn’t lost since March 14, when the Warlassies fell to Draughn.
The Knights, who hold an 10-1 conference record, will travel to Mountain Heritage, Friday, May 3, for their regular season finale against the Cougars. A Draughn victory would create a two-way tie for the top spot in the WHC, while a Mountain Heritage win would give Owen sole possession of the title.
None of that mattered last night, however, as head coach Pete Ledford and his staff celebrated on the field with their team.
“I just told them I’m super proud of them, because they keep fighting every inning and never quit,” the fourth-year coach said. “They just keep winning ball games.”
The Warlassies have scored 69 runs in their last five games, heating up before the postseason begins, Tuesday, May 7.
“The offense is picking up right now, because we’re putting in the work,” he said. “We probably take at least 75 to 100 cuts, per person, per day. We tell them we’ll keep the lights on if they want to stay and hit.”
Owen is preparing to host postseason competition, as NCHSAA 2A playoff brackets are scheduled to be announced, Monday, May 6.
“We’ll keep practicing, but we’re going keep them relaxed and having fun,” Ledford said. “We’ll see better competition in the playoffs, but these girls know what to do. We know we’re going to host a least one game, and depending on how high of a seed we get, if we win, we can probably host a few.”
Photos of Owen’s 14-3 victory over Madison can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.