Cougars back to defend softball state championship
SOUTH CHARLESTON — Jefferson High School’s tense, 2-1 win over Washington in game three of the Sectional softball playoff series gave the Cougars the life they needed to then go through the double-elimination Class AAA Region 2 tournament with a pair of wins over Hedgesville High School.
In eliminating Washington High School two games to one, the Cougars made it three wins over the Patriots this season. Jefferson defeated Washington in both games the teams staged during the regular season.
Jefferson is the defending Class AAA state champion.
And by stopping Hedgesville in a pair of 10-5 wins last week, the Cougars can now return to South Charleston to defend their hard-won championship from 2022.
In the recent Regional tournament, the Cougars found themselves in the first game against Hedgesville, trailing 5-0 before rallying for the series opener’s last 10 runs.
It took a seven-run fourth inning uprising to dispel the Eagles.
In the second game of the double elimination Regional, Jefferson pounded out 15 hits with pitcher Shelby Harris getting a home run and making it on base four times. Harris was also the winning pitcher in her first appearance as a hurler this season. The Cougars once held an 8-2 lead in that game.
Hedgesville had lost its two regular season games to the Cougars, who have now posted 21 wins on the season.
Harris, a senior who usually plays third base, has had plenty of offensive help from youngsters Becca Munslow (a sophomore middle infielder), Savannah Smith (a freshman outfielder) and Chloe Cowan (a sophomore outfielder).
Kaylee Dalton, a junior, has also provided critical hits and RBIs at times, as the Cougars gradually improved their chances of returning to the state tournament, as the regular season rolled along.
Coach Desire’ Waters now has her team in the state tournament again. And the Cougars were scheduled to play George Washington High School this past Wednesday in an opening round game of what is another double elimination event.
George Washington came in with a 21-11 overall record. In the other first round game, it was Cabell Midland (21-5) facing John Marshall (27-4).
The state tournament was then scheduled to have its state champion by the end of play this past Thursday.
In an early-season game, Jefferson lost a matchup against Cabell Midland High School, but did not play either George Washington or John Marshall High School.
The Cougars actually surprised much of the state’s softball community by winning the 2022 state championship, because it had been Washington coming out of Region 2 and entering the state tournament for a number of seasons.