The Winona Christian Lady Stars qualified for the Class AA state tournament with a pair of win on Saturday.
The Lady Stars opened up the Class AA North State Tournament with a 4-1 win over Benton. After falling 8-0 to Marshall, the Lady Stars beat Manchester 14-12 in a loser’s bracket game to qualify for the state tournament.
The Lady Stars were rained out on Monday and scheduled to take on Benton again in a loser’s bracket game that was played on Tuesday.
Winona Christian 4, Benton 1
The Lady Stars got all the runs they needed in the fourth inning to take an opening-round win over Benton in the North AA Tournament on Saturday.
Benton scored one in the first and held that lead through four innings until Winona scored four in the top of the fifth.
The Lady Stars had eight hits as Hope Pierce was 2-for-3. Olivia Dendy had a triple and drove in two runs in the fifth. Harlee Whitten, Elise Diffey and Kaylah Brooke Varnes each had singles and scored runs. Jada Mims also had an RBI single.
Sara Rawles picked up the win on the mound, going seven innings and scattering 10 hits with one strike out.
Marshall Academy 8, Winona Christian 0
The Lady Stars fell to division foe Marshall again, this time in the winner’s bracket.
Marshal scored two in the third, one in the fourth and fifth and four in the sixth.
WCS had two hits and struck out nine times. Jada Mims and Hope Pierce each had singles.
Winona Christian 14, Manchester 12
The Lady Stars banged out 20 hits and overcame a nine-run inning by Manchester to win a loser’s bracket game over Manchester and advance to the Class AA state tournament next weekend.
Winona scored one in the first and second and six in the third to go up 8-3 after three. But Manchester scored nine runs in the fourth to go up 12-8. Winona answered with three in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.
The Lady Stars had 20 hits as Jada Mims was 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Bella Roberts, Harlee Whitten and McKinley Ingram each had three hits and drove in two runs apiece. Olivia Dendy was 2-for-5 and scored two runs while Hope Pierce was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Elise Diffey was 2-for-4 while Madyson Leach had a triple and drove in two runs. Kaylah Brooke Varnes also had two RBIs.
Winona Christian 14, Hebron 7
The Lady Stars used a nine-run sixth inning to double up Hebron Christian on Monday.
Hebron scored two runs in the first and fifth innings before Winona scored four in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 5-5. Winona then scored nine runs in the bottom of the sixth to take over the game.
Winona had 17 hits in the contest as Elise Diffey was 4-for-4 with two runs scored. Harlee Whitten was 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs while Haley Evans was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Madyson Leach was 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored and three RBIs. Olivia Dendy was 2-for-4 with three RBIs while Jada Mims walked three times and scored twice. Bella Roberts had a single and drove in two runs.
Sara Rawles got the start and pitched all seven inning giving up seven runs on 10 hits and five walks while striking out 10.
Winona Christian 10, Kirk 3
The Lady Stars jumped out to an early lead as they took an easy win over the Lady Raiders on Tuesday.
Winona scored four in the first and two in the second to go up 6-1 after two. They added one in the fourth and three in the seventh.
Winona had 12 hits in the contest with six doubles. McKinley Ingram was 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. Olivia Dendy was 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored. Ashleigh Parkinson had a double and drove in two runs while Jada Mims and Elise Diffey each doubled and drove in a run. Madyson Leach and Bella Roberts each scored twice.
Sara Rawles got the start and pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on four hits and five walks. Allie Rawles pitched the final 2 1/3 innings and gave up just two hits and struck out two.
