Floyd County Buffaloes stampede into first state softball final

>RADFORD - The Northumberland softball team scored the first four runs of Saturday's game.

But Floyd County scored the next 13.

The Buffaloes advanced to a state title game for the first time with a 13-4 win in a Group A Division 2 semifinal at Veterans Field.

"Pretty awesome!" said Christene Phillips, who had three hits and three RBIs.

The jubilant Buffaloes surrounded reliever Karlee Pendleton after she struck out Taylor Childress to end the game.

Floyd County (22-3), which took the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning, will play for the championship at 10 a.m. Sunday at Radford University.

"I'm positive we've got it in us [to win the title]," said Aimee Royal, who had three hits and two RBIs.

The Buffaloes, in the state semifinals for the first time, banged out 16 hits.

Northumberland (17-9) hurt itself with seven errors and two passed balls.

"We fell apart," Indians coach Allison Cockrell said.

When Northumberland took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first, did the Buffaloes get nervous about their fate?

"We weren't worried at all," Phillips said. "We've been really strong with our bats this year, and I knew that we were going to hit the ball and come back with a win."

Not worried at all? Really?

"We were nervous a little bit," Phillips said with a grin. "But we were confident."

Pendleton (8-0) got the win, pitching 3 2⁄3 scoreless innings of relief. With Floyd clinging to a 5-4 lead, Pendleton relieved Phillips with one out in the top of the fourth and a runner on first. Pendleton allowed just three hits the rest of the way.

"My screwball was working really good," Pendleton said. "And my dropball. And my changeup."

It was Pendleton's third straight win. She shut out James River in the regional final and got the win in relief in Tuesday's state quarterfinal.

Pendleton and Holly Britt each had three hits and one RBI on Saturday. Amanda Whitlow had two hits and two RBIs.

Taking advantage of a bad decision, the Buffaloes scored five runs in the second to grab a 5-4 lead.

With one out and runners on first and second, Britt hit a grounder to first. Instead of stepping on first base for a sure out, Northumberland first baseman Kaci Payne opted to throw to third. But Ashley Gallimore was safe at third.

Gallimore was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice grounder by Kristen Mills. But because of Payne's decision on the previous play, it was only the second out.

Whitlow then had an RBI single, and Phillips had a two-RBI single. Royal followed with a two-RBI double to give Floyd the lead.

The Buffaloes scored six more runs in the fourth for an 11-4 cushion. Royal doubled and scored in the inning, which also featured a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Gallimore, an RBI single by Pendleton, an RBI single by Britt and an RBI single by Mills.

Floyd County benefited in that inning from three Northumberland errors, a passed ball and a hit batsman.

Northumberland 400 000 0 - 4 10 7

Floyd County 050 602 x - 13 16 2

Hall, Traylor (4) and Haslip; Phillips, Pendleton (4) and Whitlow. W- Pendleton (8-0). L- Hall (16-9).

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