Amherst softball doubles up Rustburg in final

AMHERST — Ashley Hill’s two-run two-out double off the outstretched glove of Rustburg center fielder Elizabeth Hargis proved to be the difference in the Lancers’ 4-2 Seminole District softball tournament championship victory, Friday night at home.

Though she was thrown out at third trying to stretch the hit into a triple, Hill drove in Ashley Campbell and Nia Chiles, who had walked, pushing Amherst’s lead to 4-0 in the top of the sixth.

The Lancers, who upset top-seeded Jefferson Forest in the semifinals, knocked off the defending district tournament champion Red Devils (11-8) to clinch the No. 2 seed in Monday’s Region III tournament opener.

“That’s two reasons that we really had to have this,” Amherst coach Larry Thomas said. “One, it was at home, it was at our house, and when I first started coaching at Amherst in ’02, that was the last time the tournament was here, and I won it. So now, to come back seven years later in ’09 and the girls won it for me again at home.”

The Lancers (15-5) will host William Byrd at 6 p.m. after Rustburg (11-8) travels to Alleghany for another Memorial Day contest, starting at 1 p.m.

“By being the No. 2 seed, we play at home on Monday and we don’t have to get on the bus and travel to Alleghany early Monday morning,” Thomas said. “That was their motivation right there.”

Amherst got a gutty complete-game effort from Sydney Lewis (7 IP, 4 Ks, 0 BBs) and two hits from April Pugh, who extended her hit streak to six after going 4-for-4 against JF. Pugh scored the first run in the third on an RBI single to right center by Shauna Douglas.

“I think they really wanted to prove a point, that they were a much better team than fourth (seed),” Thomas said. “We stumbled early, we made some mistakes, but we seem to be coming together right now at the right time and I’m real proud of it.

“We’re playing our best ball right now and Sydney Lewis has just been pitching incredible the last week,” he added. “Being a left-hander, she’s not overpowering, but she hits her spots well and she’s got a fantastic changeup.”

Rustburg finally mounted a rally off of Lewis with two outs in the bottom of the sixth when Sammie Bogolin reached on an error by Chiles, Mollie Moises doubled to left center and Nicole Riley and Kara Bowles hit back-to-back singles, slicing the Lancers’ lead in half.