


St. Marys head coach Lacey Riggs higher-fives Breanna Cost just after Cost scored the initially run in the Blue Devils’ six- win more than Petersburg on Thursday in an elimination game at the Class A state tournament in South Charleston, Va. Va. (Photo: Kerri Patrick)

SOUTH CHARLESTON, Va. — St. Marys junior Briana Cost is reaping the added benefits of preceding state-level knowledge in girls basketball and softball.
On Friday morning in an elimination game at the Class A state softball tournament, Cost ignited the Blue Devil offense with the initially hit and the team’s initially run in a six- victory more than a Petersburg group that beat St. Marys twice throughout final year’s state tournament.
Cost also began for the St. Marys girls basketball group that repeated its state tournament look ahead of Petersburg as the sixth-seeded Blue Devils have been eliminated in the initially round.
St. Mary’s (30-five) sophisticated to the championship round scheduled for later in the afternoon and necessary to beat Wahama twice, which was 30-five ahead of the match.
“Beating Petersburg is one thing we’re really proud of,” Cost stated. “We knew we had to come in and hit. We have been all in higher spirits and that helped us keep in the game. Awe fell on the ball and fantastic factors occurred.”
Seven of St. Mary’s beginning nine contributed at least one particular hit to the nine-hit attack, such as two every from Cost from the No. 7 hole, followed by Autumn Mossor in the eighth.
Mossor, daughter of St. Marys coach Lacey Riggs, played in her initially state tournament game. Each Mossor and Cost drove in one particular run. Also in the bottom half of the order, Bailey McGrady hit a two-run household run in a 4-run fifth inning to full the scoring for the Blue Devils.
Cost, who has been a leadoff hitter for most of the season, burst into the lineup as a car to spark a St. Marys offense that had gone cold in the second half of the season till this week’s state tournament.
“Our at-bats, we’ve been quite hot as extended as we’ve had them,” Riggs stated. “We created a handful of adjustments. Jesen had no troubles with the bat in this tournament. Youngsters adapt, do what they have to do, and get away with it.
“With girls like Breanna, it provides us versatile batter at the bottom of the order. We’re capable to make greater use of her talent down there.”
Cost also had a hit by a Petersburg baserunner caught stealing at second base.
“I was walking into the batter’s box considering about jumping on the initially pitch,” Cost stated. “Get a fantastic guess at one particular you can deal with and send it off.”
“We did not have nerves this year.” Final year, we did not know what to count on.”
Cali Masters earned the win just after pitching six innings of shutout ball with 3 hits and ten strikeouts. She struck out nine Vikings in the initially 4 innings.
“Yeah, we got a save inning, and Ella came off the bench and was wonderful, also,” Riggs stated. “It really is known as teamwork.”
Coach Riggs saved the inning for Masters in case St. Maris forces a second game against Wahama. Fellow pitcher Ellie Smith, the only senior on the Blue Devil roster, necessary just 12 runs to strike out the side in the top rated of the seventh inning.
Taking the loss for Petersburg was junior Sammy Collow, who walked two and struck out seven. The Vikings finish the season 26-ten just after playing via a nonstop schedule with just ten players in uniform.
“Honestly, I am really grateful for an exceptional year,” stated Petersburg coach Buba Һedrik. “I really feel blessed that we got right here. We knew we have been really compact and really young. We truly attempted to get ten youngsters this year. It really is just been a weird year for us.
“We knew every thing we had right here was the cherry on top rated.” We played a handful of games this year when we only had nine. We’ve been nervous all year, but we’ve gotten a lot of mileage. We played a lot of games.”
Petersburg, which was shut out for the final 12 innings of the tournament, graduated one particular senior in catcher Brailee Corbin.
“We type of rode Kolo and Corbin all year,” Hedrick stated. “They carried us a lot.”
Make contact with Kerri Patrick at kpatrick@nevsandsentinel.com





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