WEST COLUMBIA — The Blythewood 10U softball All-Stars saw their tournament run come to an end following a hard-fought best-of-three series against a dominant Midland squad in the district tournament.
Midland claimed the series in two games, though the Blythewood players showed significant patience at the plate and early-inning grit in both contests.
In the series opener on May 30, Blythewood fell 12-4 despite twice battling back to tie the game. After Midland took an early lead, Blythewood capitalized on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first to even the score at 2-2. Midland pulled ahead again in the second, but Abigail K. drew a crucial walk that drove in a run to tie the game at 4-4.
The game remained close until the fifth inning, when Midland broke the stalemate with a seven-run surge. Molly Claire C. led the team with a perfect 1-for-1 day at the plate, while Livia R. drew two walks. Blythewood earned them seven walks on the day.
Blythewood carried that momentum into the game two on May 31, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead in the first after Grace C. drove in a run with a single. However, Midland took the lead for good in the second inning behind a two-run home run.
Midland eventually secured the 8-3 victory to sweep the series. Grace C., Elizabeth T., and Kali K. each recorded hits for Blythewood, while Abigail K. added two walks to the team’s total of nine for the game.
Midland moves on to represent the district in the state tournament.