By Jed Blackwell Sports Editor The Spartanburg Methodist College Lady Pioneers softball team claimed the No. 1 seed in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Region X softball tournament on Wednesday with a doubleheader sweep of Florence-Darlington Tech Stingers. The Lady Pioneers (24-2,31-10) won the region's regular season title by posting a set of 5-3, 8-0 wins over the Stingers, with nationally ranked pitchers Brittany Scoggins, of Boiling Springs and Chelsi Edwards, of Inman, shutting down the Stingers’ offense. Scoggins pitched seven strikeouts in game one, with Edwards following up with the same in the five-inning game two. Sophomore Amber Hartley, of Batesburg, SC, led the Pioneers in runs, scoring one in the first game and following that up with three in the second. Scoggins and Edwards ended the regular season as the top two statistical leaders in Region X, with both ranked in the Top 25 nationally in strikeouts per game. Both local products, the two pitchers are just one of the key components to this year’s success. Edwards was a 2A Player of the Year at Chapman High School, helping lead the Lady Panthers to a state championship in her junior season. Scoggins helped build the Boiling Springs program, leading the team into the Upper State round of the playoffs in her senior campaign. Edwards said she knew before the season that this team could be something special. “I knew we were going to have a good team this year,” she said. “Just from going to practice and seeing everyone play, I knew we’d be better. We all started off being good friends, and the softball has just clicked from there.” Scoggins, a freshman, is happy to be a part of the success. “It feels really good to be able to help out,” she said. “With Chelsi here, I knew we’d have good pitching, and I knew I’d have somebody to look up to. It’s eas coming in and just being able to play my game.” The two usually trade ends of a double-header start, something that Edwards enjoys. “We play two everytime we go somewhere,” she said. “You get used to it from playing in the summers and playing travel ball. It’s a little weird coming in, but it’s easy to get adjusted to. I don’t have to pitch every game, so it’s not that difficult.” Edwards likes starting either game of a twin bill. “If you’re the second starter, you know what the batters have already done, and you kind of know where to throw it. You’re a little more prepared. But if you have the first game, there’s not a lot of pressure. You just go out there and throw your game. I like it either way.” Scoggins said her first year has been an adjustment, but that she’s enjoyed the challenge. “It’s definitely harder than high school as far as pitching is concerned,” she said. “I just try to ask questions and learn. You have to come to the game mentally prepared. It’s not way different, but the talent level is better. You have to make sure to move the ball around.” Hartley, a sophomore catcher, is one of the team’s leaders at the plate. She feels that this year’s team has shown great improvement. “I think we’re better overall than we were last year,” she said. “Our sophomores have gotten better and the freshmen who came in are very good. I could tell in the fall that we had a team that could do really well in our region.” Hartley, who played at Batesburg-Leesville in high school, chalks the improvement up to team chemistry. “I think our chemistry was good last year, but it’s even better this year. From the beginning of the Spring until now, we’re playing better, and you can tell everybody on the team wants to win really bad.” Freshman Laura Trout, from Stratford High School, is another team leader. A shortstop, Trout has drawn interest from SEC powers such as Alabama and LSU, and is helping to provide power at the plate for the Lady Pioneers. Trout said that hitting has been her biggest adjustment to the college level. “Every pitcher we see has good movement,” she said. “You don’t get to hit flat pitches. Everything moves.” Trout said she is enjoying the experience of playing at SMC. “I wish I was a little closer to home so my parents could come more, but it’s a good experience being away from home,” she said. Another SMC player who is close to home is centerfielder Alyssa Starkey. Another Chapman product, Starkey is adjusting to playing that position at the college level. “Fielding has definitely been my biggest adjustment,” she said. “I didn’t get many balls hit my way in high school, but girls in college can hit. I’m getting a lot more chances.” Starkey enjoys the aspect of playing her college ball close to home. “I can’t imagine being far away,” she said. “If I need to go home I can, and my family gets to watch me play.” SMC coach Rick Pauly is pleased with his team’s success, and hopes that it continues into the post season. “I thought we’d be pretty good,” Pauly said. “When we played our fall season, we competed really well with upper division teams, and we beat a bunch of Division II teams. I felt good about that, and I knew we had strong pitching. At the junior college level, that’s the name of the game. It takes the pressure off.” Pauly is pleased that local players are helping to lead the way for his squad. “It’s helped a lot with interest,” he said. “This Upper State is really coming on. Teams around here are becoming legitimate softball powers.” The Region X Tournament will be held May 2-4 in Hartsville, SC, with the NJCAA National tournament May 15-18 in Plant City, FL. SMC has received an automatic first-round bye in the double-elimination Region X tournament.