Allegany softball draws red-hot South Carroll in Final Four
May 22—After a resounding win over Academy for College and Career Exploration in the state quarterfinals on Friday, Allegany (16-0) has to get past one of the hottest squads in Class 1A to book a return ticket to the title game.
The Campers face South Carroll (10-10) at Bachman Sports Complex on Tuesday at 4 p.m., a squad that entered the playoffs with a 6-10 record but has won four consecutive playoff games to get to the Final Four.
With a potential rematch with undefeated Patterson Mill and reigning Gatorade Player of the Year Madison Knight looming in the title game, the Campers can't overlook the Cavaliers.
"I don't really know a lot about them," Allegany head coach Dave Winner said of his semifinal opponents. "Our goal all year was to go down and compete for a state championship, so we're about where we want to be.
"I'm sure they're a solid team. They probably play some bigger schools, I'm sure it will be a good game."
Following a 2-8 start, South Carroll has won 8 of 10 contests to advance to its first state seminal since 2017, when the Cavaliers fell to North Caroline in the Class 2A championship.
Right-handed pitcher Maddie Karns has pitched three consecutive complete games in the playoffs, and her most recent outing was her best. Against third-seeded St. Michaels (16-4) on Friday, Karns tossed a one-hit shutout, striking out six and walking none to fuel a 2-0 upset victory.
St. Michaels pitcher Haley Sadler, a West Virginia Wesleyan commit, limited the South Carroll offense to just two base hits, but the Cavaliers generated a run on an error and Karns notched an RBI single during a two-run third inning.
South Carroll defeated Liberty, 7-3, to capture the 1A North Region I title.
Allegany is 3-0 in the playoffs, routing Mountain Ridge, 15-0, in the West Region I semifinals and Fort Hill, 9-0, for the region title. The Campers decimated Academy for College and Career Exploration, 21-1, in the state quarterfinals on Friday.
Allegany has outscored its playoff opponents, 45-1, and its pitchers have yet to allow an earned run.
In beating ACCE, Alexa Uphold struck out 15 and allowed one unearned run on one hit and no walks in five innings pitched. Two days prior, Abi Britton threw a 17-strikeout perfect game against Fort Hill.
At this stage in the game, it's a luxury to have two elite options to go to in the circle.
"Both our pitchers are fresh," Winner said. "There's no inning count in softball like baseball, but Abi and Alexa have pitched about equal innings, almost identical. We feel good about that. It's nice to have two just in case. We'll just see where it goes. Pitching is a huge part of the game."
Over the course of the season, the Campers have allowed just six earned runs in 92 innings pitched for a 0.46 earned-run average.
Britton is 8-0 with a 0.18 ERA in 40 frames of work on just 11 hits with 98 strikeouts to just one walk. Uphold, a Davis & Elkins signee, has the same record and a 0.31 ERA in 45 innings on 16 base knocks with 74 Ks and nine walks.
Five Allegany hitters are batting at least .400, led by Britton with an area-best .653 average with 10 home runs and 36 runs batted in over just 16 games. Avery Miller (.512), Uphold (.473), Kylie Hook (.457) and Skyler Porter (.400) also star for the Campers, who hit .410 as a team and average 12.3 runs a game.
"I'm just so proud of the kids," Winner said. "It's so hard to believe how young we are and how well we've played with sophomores and freshmen. I told them, 'This isn't really a normal thing to compete every year in your region and go down and compete for the state championship.'
"This was our main goal to go down and have a winning result in the state championship. Everybody is really excited about our chances."
