Brookland- Cayce's Chandler Terrapin hits a run- scoring single in the fourth inning. The J.L. Mann Patriots scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the Brookland- Cayce Bearcats 5- 2 in the final game of the best of three 3A state championship softball series. The game was held at the neutral site of Lander University and marred by controversy that left both sides fuming at times.

It started in the second inning when it appeared Brookland- Cayce's Marquitta Wilson was struck out by J.L. Mann ace Leslie Jury to start the bottom half of the inning. However, the first base side umpire called Jury for an illegal pitch. Wilson was allowed to keep batting. She fouled the next pitch off then appeared to be swinging as she was hit by the pitch after that. She was awarded first base. Casey Corbitt then laid down a perfect bunt to advance Wilson to second base. Caroline Reid singled a 1- 0 pitch to right field scoring Wilson and giving Brookland- Cayce a 1- 0 lead.

After the Patriots went in order in the top half of the third, the Bearcats threatened again with runners at second and third base and two outs. But Jury was able to strike out Wilson to end the inning.

Disappointed B- C seniors Marquitta Wilson and Casey Corbitt present the runner- up trophy to the Bearcat faithful. The Patriots started the top of the fourth inning with a Lindsey Waters infield hit. Hannah Pace then advanced Waters to second with a sacrifice bunt. That's when things started to unravel a bit.

Jury, the next batter, took a 3- 1 pitch that appeared to be a strike from Bearcat freshman ace Chandler Terrapin, but Terrapin was called for an illegal pitch. Waters was allowed to advance to third base.

On the next pitch, Jury walked and casually stole second base trying to draw a throw from B- C catcher Ashlyn Hicks. The umpire called the play dead and forced Jury back to first base, but she stole second again on the next pitch to Olivia Zielinski. Zielinski then hit a harmless fly ball to Corbitt at short stop appearing to give B- C its second out of the inning, but Terrapin was called for another illegal pitch. Waters was allowed to take home tying the score at 1- 1.

The home plate umpire shows B- C head coach Richard Lundy who he wants ejected from the stands. Tori Simms, pinch running for Jury, advanced to third base, and Zielinski was allowed to bat again with a full count. She hit a ground ball to Wilson at second base who had no other option but to throw Zielinski out at first base allowing Simms to score and put the Patriots up 2- 1. The umpire then ejected two Brookland- Cayce fans and stopped play for about five minutes.

Undeterred, the Bearcats bounced back in the bottom half of the inning. Terrapin's two- out single to right center field scored Corbitt from second base to knot the score at 2- 2. Terrapin then turned it up a notch from the mound retiring 12 of the 14 J.L. Mann batters she faced in innings five through eight. She recorded seven strike outs during that stretch.

Meanwhile, Jury was not too bad herself. Alex White led off the bottom half of the fifth inning for the Bearcats with a double off the right field fence, but Jury forced two ground outs and a strike out to end the B- C threat.

Brookland- Cayce's Caroline Reid hits a run- scoring single in the second inning. Jury struck out six Bearcat batters over the next three innings, but still the Bearcats had a chance in the seventh. Jury walked two batters, but battled back to strike out the next two to leave the score tied at 2- 2 entering the ninth inning.

There the international tiebreaker rules went into effect. Waters took second base to start the inning for J.L. Mann. Pace led off with a sacrifice bunt that advanced Waters to third base. Jury then walked and casually stole second base. Simms came in to run for Jury again. Zielinksi then hit a ground ball to Terrapin. Terrapin threw home to Hicks who put the tag on Waters, but Waters was called safe by the home plate umpire. Jill Shepherd then popped out to Hicks for the second out. Katie Billingsly, who had struck out three times and not gotten a hit in six previous plate appearances against Terrapin, took a two- strike pitch and drilled it over B- C right fielder Brooke Lucas's head scoring Simms and Zielinksi.

B- C center fielder M.C. Smith makes a leaping grab against J.L. Mann. The Bearcats could not respond in the bottom of the ninth giving the Patriots the 5- 2 victory and the state championship.