SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Oak Glen’s softball team isn’t ready to go home yet.

The Golden Bears, the fifth seed, staved off elimination in the Class AA tournament with a 8-0 win over No. 6 seed Independence in six innings on Thursday evening at Little Creek Park.

Oak Glen, the defending Class AA state champion, will now have to win four games today if it is to repeat.

The task will be difficult. The Golden Bears (19-11) will first face No. 3 Sissonville in an elimination game at 10:30 a.m. today. If Oak Glen should win that game it will face the loser of No. 1 Logan and No. 2 Petersburg immediately after. A win there would mean a spot in the championship against the winner of Logan and Petersburg. The Bears would need to beat that team twice to win the state championship.

Mattie Carney got the Bears on the board first against Independence with an RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning. A Marleah Lough RBI double made it 2-0 in the second inning. A Brayley Lash two-run home run and a Danica Holden RBI single in the third extended the lead to 5-0. Macy Hartung’s two-run single with bases loaded in the fifth pushed the advantage to 7-0. Lash ended it with a solo home run in the sixth.

Carney was strong in the circle with three strikeouts over four innings. She only gave up one hit in the that time. Holden finished it off with two scoreless innings.

In the winner’s bracket game earlier in the day, Oak Glen fell to No. 1 seed Logan 1-0.

NCAA Div. II North Georgia recruit Myleigh Adkins struck out nine and only allowed four hits in the Wildcat win. Adkins threw 99 pitches with 65 for strikes.

An Addison Richardson sacrifice grounder to the pitcher scored Lilly Fleming with one out in the fourth inning for Logan’s only run.

Oak Glen’s best chance to score was in the first inning when Carney tripled to left field with two outs, but the Bears could not bring her in. A Nevaeh Heath double with one out in the fourth also opened an opportunity for the Bears, but Adkins got out of the jam.

Carney was the losing pitcher with three strikeouts and a walk in six innings. Carney threw 69 pitches of which 50 were for strikes.

Oak Glen vs. Logan

OG:0-0-0-0-0-0-0 — 0-4-0

LO:0-0-0-1-0-0-x — 1-6-1

Oak Glen vs. Independence

ID: 0-0-0-0-0-0 — 0-1-1

OG: 1-1-3-0-2-1 — 8-9-1