By JIM WALKER

Tribune Sports Editor

SOUTH POINT — Talk about throwing a game.

All three of the runs that scored in Friday’s Division III sectional title game were the result of throwing errors as the South Point Lady Pointers edged the Fairland Lady Dragons 2-1 to earn a third straight trip to the district tournament.

“It all came down to the mental mistakes and errors for both sides,” said Lady Pointers’ coach Tara Layne.

“Both (pitchers) worked so hard the whole game. Sashe (Burcham) threw a great game for Fairland. Kaitlyn Brown did a great job pitching, too. We knew it was going to be a tough game for sure.”

Brown allowed just two hits, struck out three, walked four and hit a batter. Burcham had nine strikeouts and did not walk a batter. She scattered seven hits.

The game was scoreless until Fairland (9-9) got its run in the fourth inning.

Sashe Burcham singled, Jaimie Phillips was hit by a pitch and Chandler Fulks walked to load the bases.

Stormie Spitzer hit a ground ball to third and the throw home was in time for the force out. But the return throw to first base overshot the base, allowing Phillips to score.

South Point (14-3) didn’t score until the sixth inning.

Katelynn Leonard singled to center, Kaitlyn Brown beat out a bunt single and Ashley Goodall blooped a hit to shallow right field.

Rachel Murnahan then hit a pop fly in the infield and was called out on the infield fly rule. However, two Fairland players collided trying to catch the pop up and the ball fell to the ground. Thinking they needed to throw the ball, one player threw the ball down the right field line allowing Leonard and Brown to score.

The Lady Pointers were playing without leadoff batter and the team’s leading hitter Kayla Fletcher who was running in the Ohio Valley Conference track meet. Fletcher currently has a .545 batting average.

“We knew we would miss not having (Fletcher) here tonight, but it gave us extra motivation to want to win since she is a senior and she can play at the next round,” said Layne.

South Point will play Eastern Brown at 5 p.m. on Tuesday in the district semifinals at Lucasville Valley.

Fairland 000 100 0 = 1 2 2

South Point 000 002 x = 2 7 1

Sashe Burcham and Chloe Stanley. Kaitlyn Brown and Andrea Kleinman. W-Brown (K-3, BB-4, HBP-1, ER-0). L-Burcham (K-9, BB-0, ER-0). 2B-South Point: Ashley Goodall. Hitting-Fairland: Amber Bias 1-3, Sashe Burcham 1-2; South Point: Ashley Goodall 3-3, Katelynn Leonard 1-3, Kaitlyn Brown 1-3, Andrea Kleinman 1-3, Brianna Whaley 1-2.