Logan Little League won the West Virginia Major League Softball State Tournament with a 2-0 win Tuesday afternoon in the championship game at Barboursville. Logan advances to the Southeast Regional where they will face the Tennessee state champion on July 24 at 5 PM at Warner Robins, GA (Photo courtesy of Randy Lackey).
Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
BARBOURSVILLE Emma Lackey and Zoe Chaney combined on a three-hit shutout and Ayla Vance was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs as Logan defeated Hite Saunders 2-0 on Tuesday afternoon in the West Virginia Little League Major League Softball State Championship at Barboursville.
Lackey started in the circle for Logan and was credited with the win after allowing two hits while striking out seven and walking three in 4 1/3 innings. Chaney was credited with the save after allowing one hit and striking out two batters in 1 2/3 innings.
Chaney took over in the circle for Lackey with one out in the fifth after Hite Saunders loaded the bases on a single and a pair of walks. Chaney struck out Makenna Armstrong and got Dannilynn Kendrick to fly out to Lackey in center field to retire Hite Saunders and keep Logan out in front 2-0.
Hite Saunders wouldn’t go quietly in the sixth inning, after retiring the first two batters, Chaney allowed a two-out double to Layla Crickard. Crickard stole third but was left stranded at third base as Chaney got Aubrey Thomas to fly out to end the game giving Logan another state championship.
With the win, Logan, who won the 9-11 state championship last season, advances to the Southeast Region Tournament and will face the Tennessee state champion on July 24 at 5 p.m. at Southeast Park in Warner Robins, GA., and can be seen on ESPN-Plus.
Logan never trailed in the state tournament and outscored the opposition, 39-2, in four tournament games. Neither team allowed a run during division play as Logan won the Herd Division with a pair of shutout wins over Boone Northern (7-0) and Grant County (9-0) while Hite Saunders won the Mountaineer Division with three shutout wins over Cowen (18-0), Hurricane (8-0) and Sophia (14-0).
Logan advanced to the championship game with a 21-2 win over Moorefield in the second semifinal game on Monday while Hite Saunders plated three runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth inning to rally from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Boone Northern 5-2 in Monday’s first semifinal game.
Tuesday’s state championship game was a classic pitchers duel with Hite Saunders Harley Martin matching Lackey pitch for pitch. Martin, the tough luck loser, allowed two runs on five hits with 11 strikeouts and one walk in six innings.
Vance’s double in the first scored Miley Fleming giving Logan a 1-0 lead.
With two outs in the fourth, Fleming tripled and came around to score on Vance’s second RBI of the afternoon, a run-scoring single to give Logan a 2-0 lead after four.
Fleming finished the afternoon with one hit and two runs scored. Kristi Dress and Lackey each had a single for Logan’s two other hits.
Crickard had a double and Hallie Adkins and Martin each had one hit for Hite Saunders.
Logan is managed by Tommy Dotson and coaches are Keith Adams and Randy Lackey. GameChanger coordinatior Keisha Dotson and statistician Teryn Fleming round out the staff for the Logan All-Stars.
Team members include Mollie Barnette, Zoe Chaney, Addie Dotson, Kristi Dress, Lilly Fleming, Miley Fleming, Jenna Goff, Katie Hall, Emma Lackey, Rylee Miller, Lena Setser, Addison Starr, and Ayla Vance.
Barnette, Dress, Lilly Fleming, Miley Fleming and Lackey were on the 9-11 state championship team last season that finished runner-up losing to McLean Little League of Virginia, 8-1, in the Southeast Region Tournament of Champions in Clarksville, Tenn.
Logan will be one of six state champions in the Southeast Regional in Warner Robins, joining Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia in the double elimination tournament. The winner of the Southeast Regional will advance to the Little League Softball World Series in Greenville, NC.
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