MORGANTOWN – The University High School softball team will travel back to South Charleston aiming to repeat as state champions after capturing the Class AAAA Region I championship over crosstown rival Morgantown on Tuesday with a 2-0 victory in a decisive Game 2.
The Hawks took Game 1 on Monday, 4-3 by way of a walk-off single by Lexi Elza in the bottom of the ninth inning. UHS trailed the Mohigans 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh in the series’ opening game before rallying to score the final three runs, including a late game winner after forcing extra innings.
Twenty-four hours later in Game 2, UHS found some late-game heroics again, this time from Sophia Lehosit, who delivered the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning that broke a scoreless contest and sent the Hawks back to the state tournament.
“I was just trying to sit back and wait on the ball,” Lehosit said of her mindset during her at-bat in the seventh inning. “I wanted to get a barrel on it and pass the bat to the next person, and thankfully, I did that.”
Lehosit laced a double into left-center field that brought Kelsey Park home from first base and advanced to third on the throw to home.
The next batter, Olivia Masoner, bounced a ball back to the circle, and the courtesy runner Kylin Ovieto scored on the play to double the lead.
“It feels good,” Lehosit said, chuckling. “At first, I thought it was a walk-off and almost got thrown out running to the dugout, so that’s a little humbling.”
Lehosit started the game in the circle for UHS and tossed four innings with only two hits allowed and three strikeouts to go along with her impact at the plate.
After battling a stint of shoulder discomfort that limited her pitch count near the end of the season, Lehosit says Tuesday was her first day being cleared of any limits she had.
“Yeah, today was the first day I got cleared to throw 100 percent,” she said. “I’ve been excited to get back in the circle and be throwing the best I can. Curveball and riseball are my biggest pitches; if they’re not on, I’m usually not.”
After capturing the program’s first title last season, the Hawks will return to the state tournament as the Region I champions.
“Once you get there and know what it feels like, you want it even more,” UHS coach Mindy Parks said. “These girls were new to that feeling last year and didn’t know what they were walking into; we just wanted to get there. Then once we got there, we wanted to do more than just show up. I think we can go down there and put on a show again.”
Morgantown ends the 2025 season with a record of 21-10 that includes 18 wins in the last 23 games.
“We just didn’t get timely hits, and that’s what we talk about a lot,” MHS coach Lorri Lipscomb said. “These girls never gave up and never stopped being great teammates. I couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
BOX SCORE
University 2, Morgantown 0
UHS 000 000 2 – 2 1 0
MHS 000 000 0 – 0 3 2
University (23-5-1) – Park 3100 Campbell 3000 Lehosit 3010 Olivieto 0100 Masoner 3001 Elza 2000 Cox 2000 Brown 2000 Shaver 2000 Royce 2000
2B: Lehosit
Morgantown (21-10) – A. Robinson 2000 G. Robinson 2000 Alsop 3000 Wisman 3000 Rhodes 3000 Smith 3020 Messerly 4000 B. Robinson 1000 Stone 3010
Campbell (W): 3.0ip 1h 0r 2bb 5k
Wisman (L): 7.0ip 1h 2r 1bb 3k
