Martin softball drops game one of regional series

The season for the Martin County High School softball team is on the brink after it dropped an 11-0 decision in five innings to Midway in the first game of the Class 2A East Regional Championship Series on Tuesday night.

Martin County, the No. 4 seed, dropped to 25-3 overall and must win game two on Thursday night at home to force the ‘if necessary’ contest for the regional title and a spot in the Class 2A State Championship Series.

Junior right-hander Sarah Autry was dominant on the mound for the No. 3 seeded Raiders (20-3 overall) as she pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and no walks.

Autry allowed a one-out single to Whitney Stevens in the top of the first inning and then retired eight straight batters (six via strikeout, including fanning the side in the second stanza) before surrendering an infield single to Stevens in the top of the fourth inning. After that hit, Autry retired the last six batters she faced.

Other than the two hits from Stevens, Martin County only put the ball in play five other times. Two of them were flyouts to right fielder Sam Carter, catcher Mollie Bass snagged a short popup, and two bunts were unsuccessful: Autry fielded one and threw to first (Peyton Herring), and Herring caught the other one.

Martin County senior starting pitcher Peyton Lane allowed a two-out double in Midway’s first at-bat but coaxed a pop-up to her catcher, Gabby Bennett, to end the inning.

After Autry set down the visitors in order in the top of the second inning, Midway used three hits in the bottom of the frame — the biggest a three-run double from Kiley Ives — to plate six runs.

The Raiders added a run in the bottom of the third on an RBI single from Herring to make it 7-0.

Stevens recorded her second hit, a hard grounder to deep short, to lead off the top of the fourth for Martin County. Autry responded with two strikeouts and a flyout to right.

Midway then tacked on its final four runs in the bottom of the fourth on three hits, two of them bunt singles, while the other was a line shot from Eva McLamb off MC shortstop Ty’Hiera Wooten’s glove into left field which brought in two runs. The visitors also helped the home team’s cause with a dropped throw at the plate that got away, resulting in the last two runs.

Start time for game two is 6 p.m.