PROSPERITY – Fresh off their upset of last year’s state champions, the Mid-Carolina Lady Rebels entered the SCHSL 2A State Championship with hopes high.
They continued to show they had the right stuff when they hosted the Chesterfield Rams on Monday, of last week, for the first game of the series. By the end of Game One, the Lady Rebels found themselves with their first State Championship series win. They were able to outscore the Rams 5-3 thanks to a four-run fourth inning and were just one win away from taking the state title. Just two days later it was Chesterfield’s turn to play host as they faced a sweep, but they were able to force a do-or-die Game Three with a win.
The final game was played at a neutral site, University of South Carolina’s Beckham Field in Columbia. Under the big lights of Beckham, both teams stood ready to give their all as the crowd was filled with proud parents and supporters. Chesterfield struck first with three runs in the first inning. No strangers to having to put up multiple runs fast, Mid-Carolina scored two runs over the next two innings while Chesterfield was limited to one, cutting the lead to two runs. By the end of the fifth inning, Chesterfield was able to score four more runs and held a comfortable 8-2 lead going into the sixth.
Mid-Carolina was able to have some more production on offense, but not enough as their 2023 campaign ended as the state runner-ups with a score of 8-3.
While they fell short of the goal that every softball team in the state set months ago, the Lady Rebels made history this year. Not only did they outlast every high school softball and baseball team in the county, but they took down the reigning champs to win their first Upper State title