SOFTBALL: Bruins head back to state title series

FLORENCE — The South Florence Bruins are back in the state championship series, and they earned the right in dramatic fashion.

Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, a passed ball and an RBI single by Kylie Cribb sent the game into extra innings.

Abby Yarborough ended it with a one-out single in the eighth as South claimed a 4-3 win over Stratford on Friday in the Class 4A lower state championship.

The Bruins will host the Gaffney/Wren winner on Monday at a time to be determined in game one of the best-of-three championship series.

Stratford put two early runs on the board against South ace Kaiti Harper. Back-to-back doubles and an RBI single gave the Knights a 2-0 lead after one inning.

The Bruins got one run back in the fourth. Jasmyn Holliday singled, went to second on a groundout and scored on Yarborough’s first RBI single of the evening.

But the Knights doubled in a run in the top of the fifth to regain a two-run lead, and Stratford starter Caroline Pastre kept the Bruins at bay until the seventh.

Yarborough singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a groundout. An ensuing pop fly would have been the second out, but the shortstop collided with the left fielder and dropped the ball, putting runners on first and third with one down.

With runners at the corners and two down, a passed ball brought the Bruins within 3-2, and Cribb’s single scored pinch runner Shanice Hickson with tying run.

In the eighth, Holliday walked with one out and advanced to second on a single. Yarborough then capped off her 2-for-4 night with another RBI single, sending the Bruins to their third state title series in the last four years.

Harper scattered 11 hits in eight innings to pick up her 22nd win. She struck out two and walked none.

S 200 010 00 — 3 11 1
SF 000 100 21 — 4 7 1

WP — Kaiti Harper (22-0) (8 IP, 3 ER, 11 H, 2 K, 0 BB)
LP — Caroline Pastre (8 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 7 H, 4 K, BB)
LEADING HITTERS — SF: Ashley Young 2-4; Abby Yarborough 2-4, 2 RBI; Kylie Cribb 1-3, RBI; S: James 3-4, 2 RBI; Santos 1-4, R, RBI; Kilgallen 1-4, R; Schattle 1-4, R.
RECORD: SF 26-1
NEXT GAME: South Florence will host Gaffney/Wren on Monday.