FLORENCE – It was going to a special occasion regardless of the outcome Tuesday as West Florence christened its new softball stadium with a special pregame ceremony.
But Annie Ruth Eliason and the Knights offense made sure it was a unforgettable one as well.
Eliason struck out all nine batters she faced and the WFHS bats did the rest in a dominant 15-0 victory over Lugoff-Elgin that ended after just three innings.
Even so, the quick finish certainly didn’t take the shine off Tuesday’s festivities.
“Yeah, it was great,” Eliason said after the game. “Just appreciating the stadium – thank you to the (school) district and everybody that was responsible for giving us this awesome stadium.
“…I’m really honored to be able to play here.”
Florence 1 Schools Superintendent Dr. Richard O’Malley was on hand along with Assistant Superintendent Gregory Hall, West Florence Principal Matt Dowdell and Knights Athletic Director Greg Johnson.
Johnson and Dowdell spoke briefly before Dr. O’Malley and softball player Zoey Marshall combined on the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Dowdell then threw out the first pitch.
“First thing, I want to thank Dr. O’Malley and Mr. Dowdell and our A.D. Greg Johnson that put all this together,” Knights interim coach Randy Locklair said. “What an honor it is to get to play out here and open the field up tonight with a big win.
“We were good in all three phases – we hit the ball, we pitched the ball and we played defense. You do that, most of the time you’ll win.”
That was certainly the case Tuesday. It was nine up and nine down for Eliason in the circle as she was near untouchable throughout the evening.
“Everything was pretty much working,” she said. “I was hitting my spots, great pitch calling, great catching, great defense behind me, talking me up.”
Eliason got all the offense she needed in the bottom of the first.
West sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six times before the first out was recorded.
The Knights added two more in the second and closed things out with a seven-run bottom of the third.
“We went in with a plan to kind of be selective on the pitches and it worked out,” Locklair said. “Got a few walks and then we’d get a few hits, but right there at the end I just gave them the green light to go hit the ball and they turned it up a notch.”
Ava Gainey had two hits including a double and drove in four runs for WFHS. Tolsyn Lynch plated three runs as did Anniston Kirshy. Hannah Marsik was 2 for 2 with two RBIs and Paityn Daniels drove in a run as well.
jdriggers@florencenews.com
March 13, 2025 | Morning News (Florence, SC)
Author/Byline: JUSTIN DRIGGERS Sports Writer | Section: Scnow.Com