Altavista softball crowned Group A champions

RADFORD — Altavista’s softball team used a command performance from southpaw pitcher Brooke Short to become the third consecutive Dogwood District team to defeat Glenvar in the Group A championship game, Sunday afternoon at Radford University.

The Colonels’ senior ace succeeds William Campbell’s Amber Marstin and Gretna’s Teresa Daulton to become the latest dominating pitcher from the Dogwood to stifle the Highlanders.

“Amazing,” Altavista coach Tim Fenn said.

Short was perfect through five innings and took a no-hitter into the seventh before allowing two hits, striking out 11, in a 7-1 victory.

“Words can’t explain it,” Short said when asked to describe the feeling of winning a state championship the day after she graduated with her Altavista classmates at Liberty University. “This is all we’ve been wanting to do since the first day of practice. We go into practice and at the end we say ‘State Champs!’ And we got to our goal.”

Short struck out eight of the first nine batters she faced in retiring the side in order in the first, second and third innings. She walked clean-up hitter Chassidy Williams to start the fifth, but second baseman Kacey Angell ended that inning with an unassisted double play.

“Kacey Angell, bad knee and all, came up with an unbelievable play, tagging the bag for a double play,” Fenn said, noting Angell re-injured the knee she had ACL replacement surgery on as a freshman three years ago in a Region B win over Randolph-Henry. “We were going to win with our best second baseman on the field. An 80 percent Kasey Angel is better than a 100 percent most anyone else.”

Short still had faced the minimum 18 batters entering the seventh before Glenvar’s Julie Helton broke up the no-hitter with a one-out, opposite-field single to left.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know that I had a no-hitter going because I was just focusing on every out,” Short said. “It just happens and I’m just glad we won.”

She had much better stuff than in Saturday’s 7-6 semifinal win over Essex.

“Yesterday, I didn’t think I had it and today, I felt great,” Short said. “After the first inning, I was feeling it.”

She made assists on ground-ball putouts in the fourth and sixth before allowing Kelsey Meador’s two-out comebacker in the seventh to glance off her glove for an RBI single, preventing a shutout.

“We got shut out last year and the year before, so I told (her teammates), it didn’t matter what their score was, we were going to make sure our’s wasn’t zero,” Helton said.

Altavista (19-4) scored three runs in the first when Amanda Sandridge led off with a single, Short reached on an error by freshman third baseman Alyssa Blankenship and Angell singled to load the bases for Lindsay Mayberry. She was hit by a pitch before freshman Lori Cox delivered an RBI single past sophomore starting pitcher Brandy Bryant.

“We took advantage, especially in the first inning, of getting those three runs,” Short said. “Honestly, I was pretty confident with three and we just kept going.”

“We did get some timely hits,” Fenn added, noting the Colonels also capitalized on five errors by the Highlanders (19-7). “They made some timely mistakes and we didn’t. That’s what it comes down to when you get two really good teams together. The team that makes the fewest mistakes usually is on top.”

Cox added a two-run double over the head of left fielder Erin Campbell to highlight a three-run third.

“They told me to go up there relaxed and just hit it, and I did it,” said Cox, who said she wanted to win more for Altavista’s six seniors — especially Short, her best friend and battery mate — than herself. “I’d have to say that’s the best game between me and her the whole entire year.”

Her double prompted Glenvar coach Spike Harrison to relieve Bryant with Helton, the right fielder. She allowed just two hits and one more unearned run in the final three innings.

“I did what I could,” Helton said. “They’re a good ball team. You can’t take anything away from them. We had a lot of mental breakdowns. We just should have played our game and not worried about them playing (their’s).”

As a junior, she’ll get one more shot at an elusive state title.

“That’s the worst part, getting right here and not being able to finish up,” Helton said.

Finishing the season-long goal of donning a state crown was especially rewarding for the Colonels.

“It was great because we set a goal back in October, a very high goal,” Fenn said. “These girls worked hard to get better every single day. It’s good to be the first from Altavista. We play in the toughest district in the state.”