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The Jr. Lady Rangers of Unaka Middle School delivered on their season-long potential Friday afternoon, claiming a sectional berth with a dominant 11-1 victory over Johnson County Middle School.

Kelsey Pasquale starred both in the circle and at the plate for Unaka, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs while pitching 2 2/3 innings and striking out seven, allowing just one earned run. But as has been the theme all season, the win was a total team effort — the Jr. Lady Rangers racked up 11 hits and played flawless defense.

After a scoreless first inning, Unaka exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the second. Claryssa Taylor and Kyleigh Huskins opened the frame with base hits, followed by Chelsea Fuller and Zoie Miller reaching base to plate the game’s first run. With two outs, Callie Vaughn roped a three-run double down the right-field line. Moments later, Pasquale launched a three-run homer over the left-field fence to give Unaka a commanding 7-0 lead.

Miller relieved Pasquale with two outs in the third and was nearly untouchable, striking out the side in the fourth and adding two more punchouts in the fifth. She threw 3 1/3 perfect innings with eight strikeouts to secure the win.

The Jr. Lady Rangers added insurance runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to end the game via run rule. In addition to Pasquale’s big day, Miller collected two hits, while Vaughn and Kylie Natusch each drove in two runs.

With the win, Unaka improved to 17-5 on the season and earned a matchup against the Gray Knights in sectional play. Pasquale, Miller and Mackenzie Grindstaff earned All-Conference honors, while Natusch was named to the All-Tournament team.