Warriors finish second in tournament
Last Updated on 5/22/2013
Published on 4/26/2012
By Chris Sokoloski
csokoloski@gtowntimes.com
Waccamaw High lost two games to Abbeville and finished second in the 15th annual Waccamaw Invitational Tournament.
The Panthers, the defending Class A state champions who have only lost one game this season, dominated the tournament, outscoring opponents 53-20.
"Abbeville played really well," Waccamaw coach Scott Streiffert said. "We're still a ways away from being at that level."
On Friday night Abbeville beat Waccamaw 11-3. The game was tied 3-3 before the Panthers pulled away with three runs in the fifth inning.
Emily Heimberger had two RBIs and Caitlyn Krask had one RBI for Waccamaw.
In the championship game on Saturday, Abbeville pitcher Gennifer Durham no-hit the Warriors in five innings.
"It would have been a big upset if had we beat them," Streiffert said. Hallie Butler took the loss for Waccamaw in both Abbeville games.
Waccamaw opened the tournament with a 12-1 win over Johnsonville on Friday morning.
The Warriors had 12 hits and scored eight of their runs with two outs.
"We lost two last week and we didn't really start terribly well," Streiffert said. "I thought we weren't patient and then we made them be patient because we took a lot of pitches and it seemed to work."
Heimberger went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Melaina Moore had two hits.
"We got a really good game out of Emily," Streiffert said. "She's playing really well at short and Riley [Morris] made a lot of plays at third."
Butler struck out five to pick up her sixth win of the season.
After losing to Abbeville on Friday night, Waccamaw bounced back with a 14-1 over Carvers Bay on Saturday morning.
Waccamaw put the game out of reach early with eight runs in the first two innings.
All 16 Warriors played in the game, and 10 had hits.
Butler got the win and McKenzie Lugin struck out six batters in two innings.
Waccamaw and Hannah-Pamplico combined for 29 hits in the Warriors' 14-6 victory on Saturday afternoon.
The Red Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Warriors came right back to tie the score on an RBI double by Moore, and then scored five runs in the second. After Waccamaw extended the lead to 8-1, Hannah-Pamplico cut it to 8-5. The Warriors then scored five in the bottom of the fifth.
Lugin picked up her sixth win of the season.
"Our young kids are enthusiastic, they're playing hard," Streiffert said. "We've got five freshmen out there most of the time so that's exciting. I think we could be pretty good in the future if we stick to it."
Carvers Bay went winless in the tournament, losing to Johnsonville 16-1, Hannah-Pamplico 10-0, Waccamaw 14-1 and Abbeville 9-4.
"We've got a young team but we're learning and we're getting better,"coach Heather Dennis said. "I'm looking toward the future."
Although the Bears have only won two games this season, Dennis said the team is getting better.
"We've definitely improved majorly," Dennis said. "My defense has really, really improved. We've struggled with the bat some but we're working on it and trying to stay positive."
The rest of the tournament scores were: Abbeville beat Hannah-Pamplico 12-7 and Johnsonville 11-6; and Hannah-Pamplico beat Johnsonville 10-0.
"Hannah-Pamplico played extremely well this weekend," Streiffert said. "I was very impressed."
The 16th annual Waccamaw Invitational Tournament is set for April 5-6, 2013.
Waccamaw (13-9) played Mullins last night and finishes the season with home games against Timberland tonight, Dillon on Friday and Georgetown on Monday.
"I hope we can play well down the stretch and get ready and go a little bit farther in the playoffs," Streiffert said. "Dillon on Friday is a gauge to see how well they're doing."
