Clutch hitting helps lift Eastern softball squad to district semifinal victory – 

By Wade Linville – 

The Eastern Lady Warriors hit the field at Unioto to take on the Gallia Academy Blue Angels in the Southeast District Division III semifinals on May 17. Wednesday’s post-season game marked the Blue Angels’ first Southeast District Division III Tournament appearance after long being a Division II softball program.
The Lady Warriors have relied heavily on young talent to find success on the field this season.
The Blue Angels, 16-7 coming into Wednesday’s contest, entered sectional/district tourney play as the No. 2 seed, while the Lady Warriors were 16-5 as the No. 3 seed.
When the dust cleared and the final out had been made, it was the Lady Warriors advancing to the district championship game with a 8-4 victory over the Blue Angels.
Pitching for the win was Eastern freshman Taylor Dotson, who saw four innings at the circle. Eastern’s Madelin Murphy entered the circle to pitch for three innings for the Lady Warriors.
The Lady Warriors scored two runs in the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead, and managed to score two more runs in the third inning to expand their lead to 4-0.
Both teams racked up four runs in the fourth inning, and entering the fifth inning of play it was the Lady Warriors with an 8-4 advantage.
Defense from both teams prevailed in the three innings that followed, as scoring came to a halt.
It was Andrea Edmisten leading the way in hitting for the Lady Warriors, hammering out three hits in four at-bats.
Eastern’s Allison Malott was also among the Lady Warriors’ top hitters, swinging for two hits in four at-bats with three RBIs.
Whitney Broughton contributed with one hit in three at-bats with two RBIs.
Eastern’s Rheanna Newman went one-for-two at the bat, while teammate Kameron Tomlin finished with one hit in three at-bats.
Eastern’s Emily Bradford finished one-for-one batting.
Malott’s two-run single with two outs in the first inning boosted the Lady Warriors to an early lead.
Malott and Tomlin cranked out back-to-back RBI singles with two outs in the third inning.
Broughton swung for a two-run single in the fourth inning.
All Gallia scoring came in the fourth inning off a pair of walks, two hit batters, and back-to-back singles by Allie Young and Carly Shriver.
Suffering the loss in the pitcher’s circle was Gallia’s Hunter Copley.
The Lady Warriors advanced to face No. 1 seed Wheelersburg at Unioto on May 20 in the Southeast District Division III finals with hopes of earning a berth in the Lancaster Regional Tourney.

EHS 2 0 2 4 0 0 0 – 8 9 2
GA 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 – 4 3 3

WP – Taylor Dotson;
LP – Hunter Copley