BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood’s softball team (14-4, 7-3) wrapped Region 3-5A play Friday with a 10-5 win over Spring Valley in the annual Sydney Burnsed Memorial Game.
Maya Van Zyl doubled and homered, driving in four runs. Josie Smith had two hits, including a home run, and two RBI. Molly Wolf had three hits, a double and two RBI. Raygan Segars had two hits and Rhames Weisinger doubled.
Lily Zell pitched a complete game, giving up five runs and eight hits, striking out five and walking two.
Sydney Burnsed, who was killed in a car accident in 2018, was a 2016 graduate of Blythewood and a top player on the softball team. The Bengals retired her No.6 jersey in 2019 and the Burnsed family established the Sydney Burnsed Sunflower Scholarship Fund. Each year the team honors Burnsed’s memory in a pregame ceremony.
The Bengals got a 7-3 win over first-place Nation Ford April 17.
Zell four-hit the Falcons and struck out two. Her only rough patch was giving up a 3-run homer to Paizlei Ross in the fourth inning.
Ross’ homer gave Nation Ford a 3-2 lead, but Blythewood responded with a five-run fifth inning to take the lead for good.
Segars and Makalah Ford singled and Neilah Browne drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Van Zyl hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Segars and tied the game at 3-3. Ford was out at second on the play.
Smythe struck out for the second out of the inning, but Ashley Duncan singled and drove in Browne and courtesy runner Wolf to make it 5-3.
The Bengals reloaded the bases on Keeley Hughes’ single and Zalayha Rhodes reaching base on an error. Gabby Cook singled and drove in Duncan and Hughes to make it 7-3 Blythewood.
Segars ended the inning on a fly ball to right field, but Zell kept the Falcons scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings for the win.
Blythewood played at Mid-Carolina Wednesday. The Bengals finished in third place in the region and will play in the District 4 tournament Wednesday, May 1.
Nation Ford – 0-0-0-3-0-0-0 – 3, 4, 1
Blythewood – 1-0-1-0-5-0-0 – 7, 9, 2
WP: Lily Zell
Hitters: B – Makalah Ford 2-4, HR. Neilah Browne HR. Ashley Duncan 2 RBI. Gabby Cook 2 RBI.
Spring Valley – 1-0-1- 0-1-0-2 – 5, 8, 2
Blythewood – 0-1-0-0-9-0-X – 10, 13, 0
WP: Lily Zell
Hitters: B – Maya Van Zyl 2-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI. Josie Smythe 2-2, HR, 2 RBI. Molly Wolf 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI. Raygan Segars 2-3. Rhames Weisinger 2B.
