Protest denied: Midland Valley softball officially eliminated
5/12/2008 11:45 PM
By KENTON MAKIN

Staff writer

The concept of a mother's love is one that's often honored in early May, but Midland Valley's softball coach put the concept into practice after Friday's Class AAA Lower State Championship.

Midland Valley coach Michelle Yeater went to bat for her "kids" after a 1-0 loss to Darlington High School which ended the Lady Mustangs' season, a game which hinged on a controversial decision made in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Midland Valley entered Friday's Lower State Championship final against top-ranked Darlington needing only to win one of two games to advance to the Class AAA championship.

The Mustangs lost the first game 8-5, which set up the winner-take-all second game.

Down 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Midland Valley loaded the bases with one out.

A sharp liner by Midland Valley's Haley Zuehlke was fielded by the Darlington shortstop, who struggled with the ball as the Lady Mustangs' Haley Sheehan attempted to advance to third base.

The shortstop's glove collided with Sheehan, and the ball fell out as a run scored, tying the game and bringing cheers from the hometown crowd.

However, those cheers turned to groans and boos as umpires determined that Sheehan interfered with the ball, which discounted the run and forced Sheehan out.

Darlington went on to hold the Lady Mustangs scoreless, and Yeater made her protest to the South Carolina High School League postgame.

Yeater looked to hear from the League Saturday, but members of the SCHSL were at the State Track and Field Championships in Spring Valley.

She received the decision Monday, which ruled that the play would stand as called.

"It was a long shot, but we wanted to give the girls an extra hope," Yeater said. "This season alone, they accomplished school history, and I think that making it this far sets the table for next year. This is what we've been working on for years ... from JV to the varsity level."

Midland Valley's strong finish in 2008, which included a berth in the Lower State final and a No. 2 ranking in Class AAA during the time of the Lower State championship, as well as a strong returning class should translate to another run at a state title in 2009.

Senior Haley Sheehan signed with Spartanburg Methodist College to play softball, while senior Bentli Jones turned down an offer to play softball at Columbia College to attend the Law School at the College of Charleston in the fall.

The rest of the Lady Mustangs will return -- a group that includes a one-two pitching punch with lefty Amber Holley and righty Courtney Howell.

"The girls were already talking about it today, how they can't wait until next year," Yeater said. "They weren't talking about being down and out ... they got the taste and feel of being right there with the elite teams in the state ... the killer instinct was there.

"Now we know what to do to be ready for next year," she added. "The girls will be working hard over the summer and I think they're going to be ready to go."

The Lady Mustangs enjoyed unprecedented team success, and that collective effort yielded a number of individual honors.

Sheehan earned Player of the Year honors in Region 4-3A, and joined the All-Region team with Haley Justice, Dani Frank, Holley and Howell.

Jones won the region's Sportsmanship Award.

Sheehan, Holley and Howell also earned spots on the South Carolina Coaches' Association of Women's Sports (SCCAWS) All-State team. Sheehan will represent the Lady Mustangs as a member of the 2A-3A South softball team at the 24th Annual SCCAWS Softball All-Star Series, which will be held June 13-14 at USC Aiken.

Yeater, a long-tenured coach in the Valley, is finally glad to see her players get the recognition they deserve.

"It's great to finally get to the point where we are at the upper echelon of teams," Yeater said. "Midland Valley was always in the shadows of Brookland-Cayce, Georgetown or St. James in the Lower State. We've proven ourselves, and people better take a second look at us."

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