Named Most Valuable Players in the 2024 DCSD Senior All-Star Softball Classic were Chamblee’s Rachel Axelson (left) and Decatur’s Rossalia Iglesias-Lopez (right).
Rachel Axelson, Elena Smith and Ellie Lenz were all perfect at the plate to power the Blue Senior All-Stars to a fourth consecutive win in the 19th annual DCSD Senior All-Star Softball Classic 10-1 over the Red Seniors at Lakeside on Monday afternoon.
Chamblee’s Smith, who was also the winning pitcher, had set the Blue down in order in the top of the first inning and then picked up an infield hit in the bottom of the first inning to drive in fellow Chamblee senior Kate Sarago for the first run of the game to help spark a five-run outburst.
A pair of errors by the Red Senior defense and a miscommunication of how many outs were in the inning led to four more runs for a 5-0 Blue lead heading to the top of the second.
A Blue error allowed a runner to reach in the top of the second, but Lakeside pitcher Molly McHoul, who pitched the second and fourth innings, got two strikeouts to end any threat.
Rachel Axelson of Chamblee opened the bottom of the second with an inside the park home run. Red pitcher Amiyah Morrison worked out of a jam with the help of a three key defensive plays. The defense cut down Sarago trying to stretch double into a triple as shortstop Rosalia Iglesias-Lopez of Decatur relayed to third baseman Makayla Smith of Arabia Mountain for the first out of the inning. Lithonia’s Jasmine Greene then barehanded a catch off a fly ball to center that popped out of her glove for the second out and Smith fielded a hot shot to third and threw to first to get the final out of the inning.
Greene reached on an error in the top of the third and came around to score on a single by Lopez to cut the lead to 6-1 going to the bottom of the third.
Some action of several of the 2024 DCSD Senior All-Star Softball Classic participants (left to right, clockwise) Makalay Smith (Arabia Mountain), Ellie Lenz (Lakeside), Josie Worley (Dunwoody), (Kortney Williams (M.L. King), Elena Smith (Chamblee) and Jasmine Greene (Lithonia). (Photos by Mark Brock)
Lenz got the first of her two hits on the day with one out in the bottom of third and moved around to score on a throwing error. Redan’s Chardelyn Barnes reached on a walk and stole second to get in scoring position. Morrison got a strikeout to bring Axelson to the plate with two outs and she delivered an RBI double to score Barnes as the lead increased to 8-1 heading into the fourth.
A double play with a runner on and no outs helped McHoul hold the Red team scoreless in the fourth inning while picking up her third strikeout of the game to end the inning.
Morrison allowed a solo single by Smith in the bottom of the fourth but set down the next two batters via the strikeout to keep the score at 8-1.
Smith re-entered to pitch her third inning in the top of the fifth and worked out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam with a strikeout.
Lenz led off the bottom of the fifth with a double to left-center field and Axelson collected her third hit and third RBI of the game with a solid single to center. Axelson came around to score her second run of the game with the aid of an error for the final of 10-1.
Axelson finished 3-3 at the plate with a home run, double and three RBI to pick up the Blue team’s Most Valuable Player award. Smith finished 3-3 as well with a triple and RBI and Lenz collected a 2-2 day at the plate and scored three runs. Smith also pitched three innings allowing one unearned run and striking out five.
Rossalia Iglesias-Lopez was 1-2 at the plate with a walk and RBI and with some stellar play at shortstop and third base earned the Most Valuable Player award for the Red squad. Miller Grove’s Amiyah Morrison pitched all five innings in the loss for the Red squad striking out six, walking two and allowing just four earned runs.
The four-game win streak for the Blue give them a 6-5 edge in the series. Previous to this it was the North-South series.
See link below for the All-Star Softball Classic history/records: