The Stanhope Elmore Lady Mustangs still have their state tournament dreams alive, after splitting games in the team’s opening round of regionals.
Wednesday did not start out great for the team, as they lost 11-3 to Brookwood, immediately being sent to the losers bracket.
Stanhope led the game 3-2 into the bottom of the second, but let up two runs and eventually ceded seven more.
Not much was working against the Panthers, as the Lady Mustangs collected just six hits, two of which came from Khloe Jones.
Savannah Wyatt got the start on the rubber, going five innings and striking out a pair.
“We started off the game really well,” said coach Keith Jones. “But then our bats died down. We were not striking out, but putting the ball in play. They were just making the plays behind us. Just unfortunate. They got the better of us.”
Jones’ squad flipped the script however in their second game, mauling Northridge 12-1 in five innings.
Khloe Jones went 2-3 from the leadoff spot, but it was Shakeria Washington in the second spot and Taylor Burkett batting last that did the most damage.
Washington went 1-3, but scored two runners off of a triple. Burkett did the same, going 3-3 on the day.
Wyatt dominated through three innings of work, striking out three batters while only giving up two hits.
“Against a pretty good opponent, you want to start out hot,” Jones said of Northridge. “So we went out in the first inning and scored four runs. We kept putting our foot on the gas.”
The regional win was the first in ‘a while’ according to Jones, but the job is not over yet. The Lady Mustangs must now win three games in a row to make it to Oxford.
Stanhope’s Thursday matchup is against Calera at 10:45.
