The 37th District in softball once again goes through Campbell County.
For the seventh season in a row, the Camels can hold up the 37th District
Championship trophy after defeating their county rival Bishop Brossart, 10-3.
The Lady ‘Stangs weren’t even expected to be in the title game, but an upset over
Scott in the semifinals changed everything…for both teams.
“This was a tough one,” Campbell County coach Sandi Kitchen said. “They got the first runs on the board today so we had to fight from behind and these girls stayed together. It’s a tribute to their determination and desire.”
The Camels started the game from behind after four hits and an error, which put
the Lady ‘Stangs up 3-0.
Rachel Shewmaker, Anna Bezold, and Sara Ebert all had an RBI. Madelyn Kremer
had the fourth hit.
Once sophomore pitcher Hope Hamilton got through the inning she started to
settle in and it showed on the scoreboard.
She allowed just two hits and struck out eight from that point.
“I knew I couldn’t let those early runs affect me,” Hamilton said. “I knew I had to
come back stronger. My team needed me to come out and perform like I’m capable
of and I thought I presented that very well.”
Hamilton finished with nine strikeouts, allowing six hits and didn’t
walk a batter. She was rewarded as the 37th District Tournament MVP.
Campbell County hit their stride on offense in the fourth and fifth innings. Trailing 3-1, freshman Josie Feebeck helped open the floodgates with an RBI single to score Lilly Phirman. Sam Perry and Hope Hamilton both had an RBI.
The Camels added five more in the fifth to go along with their four-run fourth
inning. Seven of the nine players recorded a hit in the game.
“One through nine, in all of my 12 years, this is the best hitting team I’ve had,”
Kitchen said. “They stay together, they cheer each other on and that’s important.
When a player isn’t hitting, you’ve got to have somebody to pick you up and they’re
there for each other.”
The momentum-swinging runs in the fifth came off an inside-the-park homerun
by Sam Perry that scored three runs and Moriah Price’s homerun that contributed
two more.
Perry finished with a hit, run, and four RBI. Price provided three RBI in three hits to
go along with a run. Josie Feeback had two RBI. Hope Hamilton helped herself on
offense with two doubles and an RBI.
The youth of the Brossart roster started to show in those two crucial innings.
“We lost seven starters from last year’s team,” Bishop Brossart coach Tom Baynum
said. “This is a very young team. They probably played their best game against Scott
and in the first four innings of this one, they played as good as Campbell did, but the
game isn’t four innings. You’ve got to finish the game out.”
Between the Lady ‘Stangs pitching staff 12 hits were given up and seven batters
were walked.
The Lady ‘Stangs went 6-for-31 at the plate. Sara Ebert had a double while Avery
Wietholter led the team with two hits.
Bishop Brossart falls to 11-20 and will be a two-seed heading into the 10th Region
Tournament.
Campbell County will be one of four one-seeds as the Camels improve to 15-9.
CAMELS 10, LADY ‘STANGS 3
BISHOP BROSSART — 300-000-0 — 3-6-0
CAMPBELL COUNTY — 010-045-x — 10-12-4
2B — (BB) Ebert, (CC) Hamilton 2, Feeback, Whitford
HR — Perry, Price
WP —Hamilton. LP —Walerius.
Records: Bishop Brossart 11-20, Campbell County 15-9