In a battle of two of the top pitchers in the 3rd Region, it was Mollie Julian and Apollo that came out on top. The junior struck out 10 over seven innings and gave up one unearned run as the E-Gals beat Trinity (Whitesville) to return to the 3rd Region Tournament semi-finals for the first time since 2019.
“We came out well. We put some pressure on them early and scored early,” Apollo Head Coach Stephen Julian said. “We could have had a few more. Morris is a really good pitcher, and I thought we barreled up some balls and got some timely hits. We scored more than they did, and that’s the name of the game.”
After retiring Arianna Ramirez to start the game, the Lady Raiders Ella Morris allowed three straight singles to Emersyn Bullington, Tyler Hall, and Keelan Wettstain to load the bases.
A passed ball allowed Bullington to scurry home and hand Apollo a 1-0 lead. Unfazed, Morris struck out Liza Page and Julian to limit the damage. An inning later, Apollo padded their lead on an RBI double by Ramirez and a Bullington RBI single.
The Lady Raiders’ best scoring opportunity came in the bottom of the third when Lucy Hallmark led off the inning by reaching base via an error. With one out, a fielder’s choice, and a single, set up Kendall Howard’s RBI single to cut the lead to 3-1. Julian was able to strike out Michaela Knight on three straight pitches to strand two runners.
Apollo added two insurance runs in the fifth on a Ramriez double and a Trinity fielding error and Julian was able to close out the game from there.
At the plate, Ramirez and Bullington led the way for the E-Gals, combining for six hits and four RBIs. Avary Emmick finished 2-3 for the Lady Raiders, while Morris struck out 13 and allowed two earned runs over seven innings.
“I didn’t think we looked bad. Ella Struck out 13,” Trinity (Whitesville) Head Coach Jessica Morris said. “We just didn’t string enough hits together ourselves to kind of put enough runs on the board.”
Despite the loss, it was a successful season for the Lady Raiders, who finished the year 20-9 and won their second straight District Championship.
“I know at the beginning of the year, Sophie went out with her injury, and everybody thought we were done. We were a team of middle schoolers, pretty much,” Morris said. “We have one junior and no seniors. Everybody is pretty young, and people thought we were down and out. I told the girls they have two choices. To use this year to get better for next season, or to say let’s have a good season this season.”
Next for Apollo, they are set to play Hancock County in the semi-finals, whom they beat earlier this year 5-0.
“Coach Wroe does a fantastic job over there,” Julian said. “They had a great comeback win earlier today, so it will be another battle.”
