Norwood Pirates win Class 1, District 9 championship
The Norwood Pirates’ baseball team after defeating Summersville to win the Class 1, Distriict 9 championship in a game played at West Plains High School.
For the second time in the last three years, the Norwood Pirates’ baseball team was crowned district champion last week after winning the Class 1, District 9 Tournament.
In a championship game moved from Norwood to West Plains after weather forced a postponement, the Pirates broke open a scoreless game in the bottom of the fifth inning by scoring five runs as they took advantage of three Summersville errors.
Pitcher Laken Coatney struck out two Tigers in their final at-bat to seal the 5-2 win, lifting Norwood to the district championship.
Coatney tossed the final one and two-thirds scoreless innings and allowed one hit with three strikeouts. Caden Black tossed five and a third innings and gave up two earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts.
Offensively, Pierce Lawson had a pair of base hits with one RBI; Wyatt Bolfing had one RBI and one run scored; while Drae Bradshaw, Holten Lopez, Coatney and Black each scored one run.
“It was a great win for our program,” said Norwood head baseball coach Drew Miller. “These kids have battle a lot of adversity this year and found away to bring home a district. This is a great group of kids and I am excited to see what happens next week.”
In the semifinals, the Pirates held off a five win Ellington team for a 5-3 victory. It was a 3-3 game with the Whippets when the Pirates scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning with the help of an error and Carson Vaughan’s RBI triple.
Vaughan and Bradshaw both scored one RBI and one run scored; Lopez had one RBI; while Carder Kelly, Lawson and Black scored one run.
On the mound, Vaughan tossed five and two-thirds innings and gave up three earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Coatney tossed one and a third innings and gave up no earned runs and no hits with one strikeout and one walk.
After press time, Norwood traveled to Billings to take on the Wildcats in Class 1 state sectionals.
A win gives the Pirates a May 27 state quarterfinals match-up against either Dadeville (18-10) or Appleton City (17-8) in the state quarterfinals. Location and time yet to be determined.