Lauren King knocked in two of Godwin’s six runs.

This is the Mills Godwin softball that the Central Region is used to.

Timely hitting. Near perfect base running. Sacrificing to move runners. Tough, mistake-free defense. Well coached.

The
Eagles showed it all Wednesday night, defeating top-seeded Patrick
Henry 6-2 at RF&P Park for the Colonial District tournament
championship.

�??We had good contributions on offense all the way through the lineup,�?� Godwin coach Walter Pettus said.

He�??s right. Four players accounted for five Godwin RBI, including third baseman Lauren King,
who drove in the game�??s first run on a single, then knocked in what
proved to be the game-winner on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.

A pitch got by PH catcher Lindsey West two batters later, scoring Stacy Snellings (2 for 3, RBI, BB) for a 4-1 advantage.

The Eagles (14-7) would do no more damage in the inning, but neither did PH (16-5).

Annie Nissen
double to start the inning, but two groundouts and a strikeout later,
the Patriots were back in the dugout fetching their gloves for defense.

It�??s been a familiar trait that Patriots coach Matt Crowder would love to see morph into something better heading into next week�??s Central Region tournament.

�??We
haven�??t been able to hit the ball with runners in scoring position,�?�
Crowder said. �??That�??s kind of been our Achilles heel the whole season.�?�

Nothing
has kept Godwin down since a 2-5 start to the season. The Eagles are
12-2 since, with their only losses to Hanover, top-ranked in the final
DigitalSports Top 10.

The fact that the Eagles have been playing extremely well and Brooke Withrow�??s diving rob of a sure double by Maggie Hogue in the second inning, took any momentum PH looked to gain at the start.

�??We told them not to worry about what happened early on,�?� Pettus said. �??What happens in May matters most. Our catcher Hannah Mills (2 for 4, RBI) has provided tremendous leadership. We have good team chemistry and balance. Our freshman pitcher [Mary Claire Stoneburner] has done a good job.�?�

Said Crowder, �??All throughout their lineup are some top hitters. You can�??t give Godwin that many opportunities.�?�

Lucky for Godwin, three weeks early in the season can�??t bury you. They�??re glad for the opportunity.