By Craig Brown

The Dillon Christian School Lady Warriors ended the 2014 season on a very happy note with a 15-11 victory over the Lady Saints of Scotland Christian Academy of Laurinburg.

The Saints had won a March 25 game against the Warriors by a score of 6-2. The Warriors were celebrating senior day honoring seniors Sarah Fitzgibbon and Greta Seay and had a new fighting spirit after the battle they had been in the day before with Antioch Christian Academy.

The Warriors got a 2-0 first inning lead and added three more runs in the second inning to go up 5-0 before the game was halted due to lightning and rain for 30 minutes. This allowed the Saints time to recover and the fire in the Warriors to cool a little. The third inning was scoreless but the quick swinging Saints added five runs in the top of the fourth inning to tie the score at 5-5.

Base hits by Ansley Hamer and Leah Stephens got Samantha Carpenter and Sara Bass that were on base on hit by pitches to home plate for two runs in the bottom of the fourth to put the Warriors back on top 7-5. The Warriors got careless in the field in the top of the fifth with several errors, allowing four Saint runs, but they bounced back at bat with hits from Ansley Hamer, Leah Stephens, Jamie Carpenter, and a double from Madison King to get four runs and go up 11-9 after five innings.

The Saints tied the game at 11-11 in the top of the sixth but the Warriors were not to be denied this day and three runners to base on walks and three hits produced four runs and a 15-11 lead. The Warriors let one batter to base in the top of the seventh inning with Jamie Carpenter striking out the leadoff batter for the final out to secure the 15-11 win.

It’s always sad to say goodbye to seniors and Sarah Fitzgibbon and Greta Seay will by dearly missed. Fitzgibbon had an all-region season at short stop and Seay played the best game of her career against the Saints, playing error free and completing a double play at home plate. It should be noted that Seay and Ravin Norris had rotated at first base all season and Norris gave up her turn to honor the senior Seay.

The Saints brought a team of 23 players and played 18 and used four pitchers rotating them in and out of the line up to the point of somewhat confusing the statistics. The Saint pitchers posted four strikeouts, walked 11 batters, put four batters on base on hit by pitches, and gave up 10 hits and 15 runs.

For the win, Jamie Carpenter posted six strikeouts, walked two batters, put one batter to base on a hit by a pitch, and gave up eight hits and 11 runs in seven innings pitched.

At bat for the Saints, Kaitlen Cook was 2-for-4 with a triple, Carle Howard was 1-for-3 with a double and a fielder’s choice with three RBI; Merideth Stogner was 1-for-3 getting to base on an error with three RBI; Kiera Bjork was 1-for-3; Emily Jorgenson was 1-for-4 getting two errors and two RBI; Destiny Cartrette was 1-for-4 with a RBI; and Emma Stogner got to base on two errors with two RBI.

At bat for the Warriors, Ansley Hamer was 3-for-5 with a triple and four RBI; Madison King was 2-for-5 with a double and four RBI; Leah Stephens was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBI; Jamie Carpenter was 2-for-4 with a fielder’s choice hit; Emilie Martin was 1-for-4 with a fielder’s choice hit and a stolen base; Samantha Carpenter got to base on two walks and two hit by pitches with a stolen base; Sarah Fitzgibbon got to base on three walks and a hit by a pitch; Sara Bass got to base on two walks and a hit by a pitch; Greta Seay got two walks a fielder’s choice hit; and Erin Hamer made it to base on a walk.

The Warriors won their first game in two years and finished the season at 1-21 but they finished by beating a good team that knows how to win. The joy in the hearts of the young Lady Warriors cannot be described in words. It was as if they had won something more than a game. All year long they kept losing to themselves and not the other team. Let us hope that this victory will by a guiding light for the 2015 season.

Photos by Craig Brown. Click the images below to view at full size!