West Orange pitcher Lauren Mathis was calm and collected in the bottom of the 7th inning of the 9A State Championship game. Never mind the fact that the bases were loaded with one out and the Warriors were only up 1-0.
“I knew my team had it for me if they got hits and I knew I could do it if I could strike them out,” said Mathis.
It took one of each for Mathis and company to win their second straight softball state title. A strikeout to gain the second out and a line drive hit to senior shortstop Amanda Fleming to end the game.
“I was pacing the dug out,” laughed West Orange Head Coach Todd LaNeave. “That was appropriate the way that game ended. We’ve been on the short side of some games like that and they just found a way. They’ve been doing that the whole playoff, they found a way to do it.”
Mathis pitched a complete game, allowing only 4 hits, with 13 strikeouts to her name. As Mathis put it, “I think I left it all out there on the field for my last high school game.”
“She’s usually in the double digits in strikeouts. But that’s a good team and she really worked hard and her last couple of outings she kept getting stronger and stronger,” said LaNeave. “And then when she really needed to step it up tonight she did Lauren Mathis and that’s her.”
“She’ll be missed, she’ll be missed for sure.”
This fall the senior will be headed to Georgia, pitching for the Bulldogs. This upcoming week she graduates high school. But nothing compares to that final night on the mound with her teammates, making history as back-to-back state champs.
“It means pretty much everything. Back-to-back state champions and we made school history. It was amazing being on the field with these girls for the last time.”