By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

MONTGOMERY – The Cornerstone Lady Chargers took home the AISA A Region 1 softball title on Monday, April 25. Cornerstone, a historically rich softball program, beat Abbeville and Lakeside in the Region 1 tournament to clinch the title, which propelled them to the top seed in the region heading into the AISA A state softball championship, which will take place from May 6-7 in Montgomery at Lagoon Park.

Cornerstone beat Abbeville in the first game of the regional tournament by a 3-0 margin. Megan Garst pitched an absolute gem for the Lady Chargers, striking out a remarkable 17 batters as she threw a no-hitter, never allowing the Lady Generals to gain any sort of offensive footing. Nataley Whitner and Laura Beth Franklin each had two hits in the game, while Franklin drove in two runs and Carlee Halbert drove in the third to lead the Lady Chargers from the plate in the first game of the day.

In the second game, Cornerstone took on Lakeside and beat the Lady Chiefs easily, 9-0. Garst threw her second no-hitter of the day, striking out 15 more batters in the second game, giving her a whopping 32 strikeouts on the day over two games. All of the Lady Chargers hit it well in the second game, however Franklin led the way with two home runs, which resulted in five RBIs.

The two wins brought Cornerstone’s overall record to 19-8 on the season. The Lady Chargers will play Jackson Academy out of Jackson at 10 a.m. on May 6 in the first round of the tournament. The tournament is a double-elimination, and the championship game will be played on May 7 at 2 p.m.