McKenzie Danley, the winning pitcher in Sunday’s game, lashes a double to right field that drove in two runs.

East Surry 9-10 girls game away from state title

By Lee Buchanan
lee@surrymessenger.com

PILOT MOUNTAIN — The East Surry 9- and 10-year-old girls are one win away from the state softball championship after an overpowering 10-2 win over King on Tuesday night.
The girls showed off a winning mix of power pitching, timely hitting and strong defense as they rolled through the winners bracket and into the championship. East Surry will play the team that emerges from the losers bracket for the state title Thursday at 7 p.m. at Palmer Field. A loss Thursday would force another, decisive game.
Pitcher Laken Bowman overpowered the King batters, giving up only four hits while striking out 10 and walking two in six innings. Bowman also had a triple, an RBI and scored twice.
King got a runner to third in the second inning, but Bowman fanned her fourth batter in two innings to strand the baserunner.
After two scoreless innings, East Surry drew five consecutive walks to lead off the bottom of the third, scoring Hayley Whitaker and Olivia Sheets. With the bases still loaded and none out, McKenzie Danley smacked a double to right, driving in Abby Martin and Emily Cummings.
Brooke Bowman’s solid single drove in Laken Bowman and Danley to make it 6-0 after three innings.
King answered with two runs in the top of the fourth, but it could have been worse. With runners at second and third and no outs, a line drive up the middle was snagged by shortstop Sheets, who wheeled and threw to third, almost doubling off the runner. Bowman ended the King rally with another strikeout.
East Surry added four in the fifth inning when Laken Bowman led off with a hard line drive over the left fielder’s head that went for a triple. One out later, Brooke Bowman beat out a bunt for a single, scoring the pitcher. Kelsey Martin drew a walk ahead of a throwing error that plated two runs and put East up 10-2.
East Surry closed out King in the sixth with some excellent defense. Abby Martin at second base speared a liner to open the inning. After a walk and couple of wild pitches put a runner at third, Martin fielded a grounder at third and made the long throw to get the runner. Katie Tweet then snagged a fly ball in left field to end the game.
Coach Nathan Bowman praised his girls, but cautioned them not to rejoice for long. They have at least one more game to win.
“We’re where everybody else wants to be right now,” he told the team. “We finally got the bats going. Just try to do it a little sooner so I won’t have a heart attack.”

The coach also had high praise for his catcher. “Emily Cummings played a great game behind the plate tonight,” he said.
East Surry had only six hits, but the girls made them count. Brooke Bowman went 3-for-3, driving in two runs and scoring one.