Lady Warriors Strike Fast, Clark’s Grand Slam Fuels Quarterfinal Rout
By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | May 19, 2026 | Photo courtesy Sportzwire
No. 4 Elk Lake wasted little time turning its opening-round matchup into a statement, rolling past No. 5 Blue Ridge 13-2 Tuesday afternoon at Elk Lake Jr./Sr. High School.
Blue Ridge briefly grabbed the early edge after Kaylee Blewett delivered an RBI single in the top of the first, but that lead disappeared almost immediately.
Elk Lake erupted for six runs in the bottom of the opening inning to completely swing momentum. The Lady Warriors capitalized on opportunities throughout the frame and never let Blue Ridge settle in.
Then came the moment everyone in attendance was talking about.
With the bases loaded in the second inning, Celeste Clark uncorked an inside-the-park grand slam that sent the Elk Lake dugout into a frenzy and blew the game wide open. Clark finished with two hits and four RBIs in a monster performance at the plate.
Brynn Warriner added to the offensive attack in the third inning, delivering a run-scoring single before later crossing the plate herself to keep the pressure on.
Elk Lake stacked up nine hits in the victory with Lydia Howell, Warriner, and Clark each collecting two hits. The Lady Warriors also flashed the leather defensively, turning a double play.
Nami Patton handled business in the circle, going all five innings while allowing just five hits and two runs — only one earned — while striking out five without issuing a walk.
Blewett and Peyton Rutter each collected two hits for Blue Ridge in the loss.
Now the road gets steeper.
Elk Lake advances to Thursday’s District 2 Class 2A semifinal where the Lady Warriors will square off against top-seeded and undefeated conference champion Montrose with a spot in the district championship game hanging in the balance.
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