Blues Second In Pioneer

Blues Second In Pioneer PM Softball Earns No. 2 Seed In Regionals

The Parry McCluer softball team finished second in the race to the Pioneer District regular- season title, and the Blues matched that feat in the league’s postseason tournament last week.

PM opened the tournament with a 10-3 victory over Narrows last Monday, May 19, to earn a spot in the championship game, where they fell to champion Eastern Montgomery, 10-1, the next afternoon in Elliston.

Parry McCluer’s chances of reaching the title tilt appeared tenuous early in that semifinal contest against Narrows, as the Green Wave raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first three innings. However, the Blues exploded for four runs in the bottom half of the third and tacked on runs in every inning after that to pull away for the victory.

Senior centerfielder Logan Vest sparked the rally, leading off the home half of the third with a home run, one of her four hits in the game. Jordyn Hostetter followed with a walk and later scored on a wild pitch, and the Blues tacked on two more runs, thanks to a pair of Green Wave errors, to take a lead they would never relinquish.

The Blues were not done there. In the fourth, Kinleigh Wallace singled, stole second and scored on Vest’s RBI single. Vest swiped a pair of bases and then raced home on Kendall Painter’s sacrifice fly.

Four more Parry McCluer runs scored in the fifth to put the game away. Natalie Mohler drove in two runs with a triple, and she scored on another Vest single. Vest crossed the plate on Hostetter’s hit to provide the final margin.

Vest provided most of the offense for the Blues, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the leadoff spot, including the home run, scoring three times and driving in three runs. She also finished the game with four stolen bases.

Julian picked up the win on the mound, surrendering three runs, two earned, on four hits while striking out three in her four innings of work. Alyssa Wheeler came on in relief in the fifth, blanking Narrows for the final three innings to earn the save.

The Blues could not mount another comeback effort the next day as Eastern Montgomery jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning and cruised to the win to add the tournament title to its regularseason championship.

The Mustangs scored their 10 runs on just seven hits as they took advantage of five PM errors, two in that deciding first frame. In all, eight of Eastern Montgomery’s runs were unearned.

Parry McCluer’s only tally came in the fifth, when Wallace singled, moved to second when Mohler was hit by a pitch and raced home on a Vest single.

That is all of the offense the Blues could muster, however, as Eastern Montgomery’s Macie Akers scattered six hits to earn the complete-game victory on the mound. She struck out four and walked none.

With the split of the two games in the district tournament, the Blues earned a number two seed in the Region C championships. PM is slated to face Fort Chiswell, the thirdplace team from the Mountain Empire District, today (Wednesday) in Buena Vista. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.