The 2023 Class 2A Softball Sectional at Union County ended in a 5-5 tie at the end of seven innings. The Lady Patriots won the game, 6-5, in eight innings.

EH led 1-0 after the second inning. UC didn’t score until the bottom of the third inning. With two outs, senior Ally Gray swung on the third pitch to the plate and sent it over the fence to tie the game 1-1.

The Royals failed to score in the fourth inning, but UC had other ideas for the bottom of the fourth inning. 

Lead-off batter Harly Pilgrim found a good spot to punch a single past second base. Whitney King singled to right field and Mackinzey Carter  followed up with a shot to right field.

Eastern Hancock’s Sammie Bolding hit a home run with a runner on base in the fifth inning. UC came right back with Shelby Hill’s home run to score both Gray and Adams. 

The flurry of home runs and base running in the late innings caused EH to change pitchers.  

UC junior pitcher Bailey Mathews pitched a complete game, with 10 strikeouts and one walk. Eastern Hancock pitchers struck out 9 and walked three.
Then in the bottom of the eighth inning, King was hit by a pitch and became a baserunner. She scored the winning run on a Carter single.

Union County advanced to the regional round at Union County.   

Union County  Sectional #41
Championship
E. Hancock     010  021  10 -  5
Union County  001  130  01  - 6
2B: EH 3 (Willis 2, Stapleton). UC 1 (Gray).   
HR: EH 2 (S.Bolding, Kline). UC 2 (Gray, HIll).
LOB: EH 5. UC 6.
Batteries: EH-Stephens, Adams and Kline. UC-Mathews and Hill.