SETH — If its offseason success is any indication, the 2008 softball season could be a special one for Sherman’s softball team.

The Tide excelled in fall ball, which is a 16-team league in which high school squads travel to Buffalo each Sunday and play two games for six weeks.

Sherman won the season-ending tournament, which concludes fall ball.

The Tide posted a 4-0 record in the single-elimination tournament on Oct. 27.

Game One was a forfeit victory over Chapmanville, which was absent.

Game Two was a 3-0 win over Poca.

Senior pitcher/second baseman India Stone led off the first inning with a single. Sophomore center fielder Crystal Halstead walked. Junior shortstop Mandi Workman followed with a single to score Stone from second base.

Senior first baseman/third baseman Jessalyn Meadows started the fourth inning with a walk, then moved to second base on a sacrifice by junior right fielder Reagan Meadows and scored on a hit by senior left fielder Tia Long.

Workman led off the fifth inning with a walk, advanced to second base on a wild pitch, moved to third base on a sacrifice by sophomore catcher Madison Bowman and crossed home on a passed ball.

Stone allowed three hits and recorded 13 strikeouts in seven innings.

Game Three was a 10-0 victory over George Washington.

The Tide scored four runs in the first inning.

Stone started the surge with a single. She moved to second on a sacrifice by Halstead. Workman followed with a walk. Bowman smashed a two-run double to score Stone and Workman. Sophomore first baseman/third baseman/pitcher Brittany May reached on an error and scored along with Bowman on Reagan Meadows’ two-run single.

Sherman scored four more in the third inning.

May started the surge with a single and Jessalyn Meadows followed with a walk, then Reagan Meadows delivered a two-run single to score both maroon-and-gold runners. The Tide finished its third-inning scoring on a hit by Long and a sacrifice by Stone.

Sherman added another run in the fourth inning, when Bowman led off the frame with a single, moved to second and third base on passed balls and scored on freshman first baseman Nadia Miller’s sacrifice.

The Tide scored again in the fifth inning, when Stone collected a single and Workman delivered a double.

Stone allowed one hit and recorded five strikeouts in three innings. May yielded one hit and notched two strikeouts in two innings.

Game Four was a 1-0 win over host Buffalo for the tournament championship.

The Bison entered the final game with a 15-0 record during the fall ball season and tournament.

The Tide scored the game’s only run in the first inning. Stone and Halstead started it with back-to-back singles, then Bowman collected another hit to score Stone for the game-winning run.

Stone pitched a no-hitter, finishing with 19 strikeouts and two walks in seven innings.

Buffalo threatened to score in the seventh inning, when Stone issued a leadoff walk. The runner tried to steal second base, but Bowman gunned down the runner with a picture-perfect throw from behind the plate. Stone then struck out the last two batters to end the game.

Other players were sophomore second baseman Jessica Hudson, sophomore left fielder/right fielder Taylor Dodrill, sophomore left fielder Whitney Morgan and freshman right fielder/second baseman Nevada Miller.

Here are the tournament statistics for each player:

N Stone — 4-for-10 and four runs; 17 innings, 37 strikeouts, four hits and no runs.

N Bowman — 4-for-9, three runs, one double and one sacrifice.

N Workman — 3-for-8, one double, two walks and two runs.

N May — 3-for-9, two runs and one sacrifice.

N Reagan Meadows — 3-for-7 and one run.

N Long — 3-for-6 and one run.

N Halstead — 1-for-8, two sacrifices and two walks.

N Jessalyn Meadows — 0-for-4, two walks and two runs.

N Hudson — 0-for-6 and one sacrifice.

N Nadia Miller — 0-for-4 and one sacrifice.

N Dodrill — 0-for-2 and one walk.

N Morgan — 0-for-2.

N Nevada Miller — 0-for-1.

Todd Stone and Shari Workman were the Tide’s coaches.

“The girls played great all day,” Sherman varsity softball assistant coach Terri Dawn Williams said. “We have been playing pretty good up until then, but we never could get a big hit when we needed it. (That day) everyone came through.”

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Sherman (10-23) had five selections on the All-Coalfield Conference volleyball team.

They are senior setter India Stone (first team), senior outside hitter Tia Long (second team), sophomore outside hitter Madison Bowman (second team), junior outside hitter Holly Garretson (honorable mention) and junior back row player Mandi Workman (honorable mention).

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The West Virginia Storm is looking for girls 12 years and younger to play for a new ASA team that is forming for the 2008 season.

The team will be located in the Racine area. Tryouts are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 17-18.

Call Terry Laws at 836-5912, Melinda Ferrell at 421-3478 or 836-8166 or Cindy Lewis at 380-7769 for additional information.

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The Madison Colts' Midget Football League will be accepting letters of interest for A, B and C Team coaches through Dec. 6.

All applicants will be subject to a background check and possibly a drug test.

All applicants also must attend the Dec. 10 meeting.

Letters of interest should be sent to President Angela Phillips at 1070 Daniel Boone Parkway, Danville, WV 25053 or at maphillips@verizon.net.

Call Phillips at 369-9533 with questions.

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Todd Griffith and D.A. Harless are looking for girls between the ages of 7 and 14 years to play in the Madison-Danville All-Girls Basketball League.

There is a $35 registration fee.

All games will be played on the weekends at Brookview Elementary School.

Call Griffith at 369-6087 or Harless at 369-6148 for more information.

Contact Managing Editor Jacob Messer at HYPERLINK "mailto:Messer@coalvalleynews.com"jacobmesser@coalvalleynews.com or 369-1165.