Sumner hits walk-off RBI and Eagles clinch district title

Knotted at eight in the bottom of the eighth inning, Beaufort High School was in desperate need of a miracle.

In comes Mary Claire Sumner.

With the bases loaded, Sumner belted the game winning RBI to clinch a 9-8 win over Saint James.

“I was really excited,” said Sumner. “I just want to thank all of the girls on the team for helping me get to that moment. I knew from the moment that I stepped to the plate that I wanted to put the ball in play and drive it really far.”

With the win, the Eagles claimed the first district championship in school history.

“All of us have been playing softball since we were 8 years old, and now we are seniors,” said Sumner. “This is awesome.”

The Eagles got off to a shaky start, trailing 5-1 in the first, but that didn’t get their spirits down.

“We kept saying that we have to win every pitch in every inning,” said Sumner.

The comeback win started with bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Caroline O’Hara had arguably the best hit of her career. The outfielder notched an RBI double that gave the Eagles an 8-6 advantage.

“I have been working really hard, and I’ve seen this pitcher all night, so I knew exactly where she was going to pitch it,” said O’Hara.

Using plenty of offensive firepower, the Sharks secured a 4-0 lead early in the first. Several miscues early by the Eagles aided the dominant start for the Sharks.

In the bottom of the second, O’Hara belted a big hit and finished with a quick scamper to second. Lillian Bearden and Madison Powell loaded the bases off of a bunt and a single, and Sumner followed soon after with an RBI, cutting the lead to 4-1.

Down 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Beaufort published another run and held the Sharks scoreless for the rest of the night.

The Eagles will return to action Saturday.

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 8:38 PM with the headline "Sumner hits walk-off RBI and Eagles clinch district title."