Lexington softball earns 2nd walk-off win over Summerville after rare playoff protest
It took longer than Lexington originally hoped, but the Wildcats softball team got the result they wanted Tuesday and earned a trip to the Class 5A Lower State Championship.
Madison Rogers’ RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth gave the Wildcats a 6-5 win over Summerville on Tuesday. Lexington will host the Lower State Championship on Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s Chapin at Summerville elimination game.
“We are just happy we got the win and we can sit til Friday,” Lexington coach Laurie Epps said.
The Wildcats’ victory Tuesday took less than 30 minutes and came about 22 hours after they thought they’d defeated the Green Wave on Livi Warren’s walk-off home run Monday in the eighth inning. The teams met again to replay the finish after a rare playoff protest was made and upheld.
On Monday night, Summerville attempted to pinch-hit for a flex player with two outs in the top of the eighth inning and the game tied 5-5. The umpires did not allow the move, and the Green Wave played the end of the game in protest.
The S.C. High School League upheld Summerville’s protest, which affirmed that the umpires made the wrong decision to not allow the pinch-hitter.
“A rule interpretation protest by Summerville High occurred and was acknowledged during the contest. After review, the protest was upheld, and the two teams will meet (Tuesday) at Lexington High to begin at the point of protest,” the SCHSL said in a statement
Summerville coach Heather Tucker said she read up on the rule about a month ago and confirmed with a few umpires in the Charleston area that the team was allowed to pinch-hit for the flex player. Tucker kept the possibility of making that move in the back of her mind.
“My job as a coach was to put my kids in the best possible situation to win a game,” Tucker said. “I wanted to do all I can to fight for them and put them there.”
Lexington coach Laurie Epps didn’t tell her team until Tuesday morning — after it was official — that the finish of the game would have to be played again. Epps said her players kept their same routine and stayed loose leading up to Tuesday evening.
The Wildcats had a large crowd on hand, which included the Lexington football team that stopped spring practice and gathered behind the right-field fence.
The game stayed tied into the bottom of the ninth when Rogers came up with the winning run at third. She ripped a pitch in the right-field gap to end the game.
“I just knew I had to do something,” Rogers said.
Epps praised Rogers and the team’s determination to not get frustrated after believing they won the night before.
“They never back down from anybody,” Epps said. “Someone else different seems to step up at different times, and today it was Madison. We are playing as good as softball as we can right now and are happy to be here.”
Mackenize Mathis picked up the win in relief for Lexington. Catcher Sarah Gordon, who was intentionally walked in the eighth, led the Wildcats with a pair of homers.
After a two-hour trip on the bus to the Midlands, Summerville headed back to Lowcountry and will try to get back to Lexington on Friday.
“We were glad we had the opportunity to come fight for a win,” Tucker said. “This was a big game. We had to get on the bus to get here, but no big deal. We will go back home, regroup and battle it out with Chapin and earn the right to come back here on Friday.”
This story was originally published May 17, 2022 at 12:39 PM.
