History and heroics: Lugoff-Elgin wins program’s first softball state championship
The Lugoff-Elgin softball team was down to its final strike and facing the possibility of playing a winner-take-all game to decide the Class 4A championship.
But Emma Spradley changed that scenario with one swing of the bat Friday night.
The Lugoff-Elgin senior hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the top of the seventh to help the Demons to a 5-4 win over Darlington and sweep the best-of-three championship series.
“I knew it was gone when I hit it. When you hit it, you know you could tell,” Spradley said. “I was just looking for a pitch to hit. I just wanted to hit it hard. I wasn’t looking to hit over the fence honestly.”
It is Lugoff-Elgin’s first softball state championship and first in any sport since the L-E baseball and wrestling teams won championships in 2010.
The championship came on the same field in Darlington where Spradley and the rest of the seniors played their first game in an L-E uniform as junior varsity players. Savannah Starling was the JV coach then before taking over the varsity team in 2019.
Three years later, the Demons were hoisting the state championship trophy.
“We came here for a doubleheader scrimmage so the fact they get to wear those jerseys for the last time here was cool,” said Starling, who choked up a bit when talking about her senior class.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of my team. We preached fighting and never giving up. What better way for them to go out then show that true grit and resiliency that we have been preaching for and battling for all season.”
The Demons won both games in the series in their final at-bat, but Friday’s contest didn’t look like it would come down to late-game heroics after a strong start.
Lugoff-Elgin (22-4) scored three runs in the top of the first but didn’t have a runner get past first until the final inning. Darlington chipped away at the Demons’ lead and scored two runs on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead.
Darlington’s Madie Andrews retired the first two L-E batters in the top of the seventh and had an 0-2 count on Summer Staples, who delivered an opposite-field single into right to keep the Demons’ hopes alive.
Spradley was up next and got ahead 3-1 in the count and then drilled a pitch over the left-field fence to make it 5-4. It was Spradley’s eighth homer of the season and second in the championship series.
Spradley was mobbed at the plate by her teammates and took her a few moments to catch her breath.
“I just couldn’t breath because I knew I came up big for my team,” Spradley said. “I was just so happy I could do it for them.”
Freshman Abbey Crates retired Darlington in order in the bottom of the seventh as second baseman Tori Williams squeezed a pop fly for the final out as L-E players piled on each other for the celebration.
The celebration continued after the championship trophy as the L-E players joined the large crowd of students, many of which had their bodies painted with red, white and blue the school’s colors.
“Our whole school was here, and we didn’t want to let anyone down. We did it for them and our fans,” Spradley said. “We are so happy and thankful to have people who supported us like this.”
Crates pitched the final 3 2/3 innings to get the win. The freshman came in with the bases loaded and one on in the bottom of the fourth and gave up just one run.
In the fifth, Darlington (24-6) had first and second and no outs, and Crates got out of it without giving up a run.
“Abbey is really, really good under pressure to be so young,” Starling said. “I just had a good feeling about her and my gut said go with her. She really did her job.”
Amber Rogers led Darlington with three hits and Kansas Cassidy added two and an RBI for the Falcons, who left 11 runners on base.
WP: Abbey Crates LP: Madie Andrews Hitters: LE: Emily Vinson 1-4; Summer Staples 1-3; Emma Spradley 3-4 HR, 3 RBI; Hailey Mock 1-4; Reece Pickett 1-2; Sydney Branham 1-3. D: Alayna Williamson 1-4 2 RBI; Amber Rogers 3-4; Kansas Cassidy 2-4
This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 11:10 PM.
