The Fayette County Freedom 12 (2010) softball team wrapped up the weekend at 4-0 and captured the title of their own Freedom 12U Tournament with a 8-3 win over the Charleston Chill on Sunday.
After going 2-0 in pool play on Saturday, including a 9-7 win over the Chill, Freedom picked up a 8-4 win over Blitz 11U out of West Frankfort in the first tournament semifinal game on Sunday. Freedom would fall behind 2-0 in the first inning, but came back strong in the bottom of the second inning. A leadoff single by Lux Reynolds got things started and she would steal second to put a runner in scoring position. Violet Williams then singled to put runners at the corners and a squeeze bunt by Katy Sefton would bring home Reynolds and Williams and Sefton herself would come around to score on the throw to give Freedom the 3-2 lead. Briley Sefton then singled to left field and would come home on a single by Cali Hill to push the lead to 4-2. Blitz tied it up at 4-4 in the top of the third, but the Freedom again put together a 4-run inning. Anna Benhoff hit a leadoff single and would steal second and then third with Summer Sampson walking to put runners at the corners again. Sampson would take 2nd and then Benhoff would score and Sampson would advance to 3rd on a passed ball for a 5-4 lead. Reynolds would then single to score Sampson and would advance to second on the throw. With Keira Meredith at the plate, Reynolds stole third and came home on an error by the third basemen as Freedom would go up 7-4. A double by Meredith would put another runner on, but she would be caught stealing. Williams singled to center and then stole second. Williams would be lifted for the courtesy runner, Elaina Hagy, who would score on a passed ball and make it 8-4 Freedom as they would go on to close out the win.
In the Championship game, Freedom would get off to a hot start offensively, with two runs in the bottom of the first inning when a two RBI single by Reynolds scored Sampson and Hagy for a 2-0 lead. In the second, a leadoff single by Williams, followed by a double by K. Sefton would put two runners in scoring position. Dunaway would reach base on a dropped third strike with Williams scoring on the throw to push the lead to 3-0. K. Sefton would then score on a passed ball, edging the lead out to 4-0. B Sefton reached base on a single and then scored on a RBI single by Benhoff to right field to extend the lead to 5-0. A RBI single by Hagy scored Benhoff and Reynolds followed that up with a double to score Sampson as the Freedom went up 7-0 by the end of the second. Charleston would cut the lead to 7-2 in the top of the fourth inning, but the Freedom would edge the lead back out to 6 with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Charleston would add on another run in the top of the 6th to cut the Freedom lead to 8-3, but Freedom would end the game catching a Chill runner off the bag at second for the win. Freedom 12U (2010) is now 21-6-3 on the season.
Freedom Offense vs. Blitz 11U:
Anna Benhoff – 1-3, R
Summer Sampson – BB, R
Elaina Hagy – R
Lux Reynolds – 2-2, 2 R, RBI
Keira Meredith – 1-2, Double
Violet Williams – 2-2, R
Katy Sefton – 1-1, BB, R, 3 RBI
Briley Sefton – 1-1, R
Cali Hill – 1-2, RBI
Freedom Pitching vs. Blitz 11U:
Anna Benhoff – 2 2.3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Keira Meredith – 2 1/3 IP, 2 K
Freedom Offense vs. Charleston Chill:
Anna Benhoff – 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI
Summer Sampson – 1-3, 2 R
Elaina Hagy – 2-3, R, RBI
Lux Reynolds – 1-3, Double, 3 RBI
Violet Williams – 1-3, R
Katy Sefton – 1-2, Double, R
Arian Dunaway – RBI
Briley Sefton – 1-2, R
Freedom Pitching vs. Charleston Chill:
Keira Meredith – 6 IP, 3 R (3 ER), 8 H, 2 BB, 3 K
