The Gwaltney Galaxy girls 16-and-under softball team won five consecutive games to finish first in the Williamsburg Summer Heat Classic last weekend.

The Galaxy began by polishing off the Williamsburg Starz and the Wayne (West Va.) Thunder behind the pitching of Erin Griffin, who struck out eight and allowed only eight hits in the two outings. They then defeated the Southside Sting (another local team) 14-7, and beat the Northern Neck Rage 7-4. Griffin got both wins from the mound, and Megan Edwards cranked out a pair of home runs.

Now in the championship game, the Galaxy would have to survive the Prince George Heat, one of the highest-ranked teams in the United States Softball Association.

Neither team got off to a quick start in the final, with the game scoreless going into the third inning.

But Crystal Evans and Meredith Edwards led off with singles, and Griffin bunted them into scoring position. Meredith King then smoked a triple, bringing home both runners.

The Heat tied the score in the next inning, and took the lead in the sixth. But in their last at-bat, the Galaxy came through.

Alaine Young singled, and Elyse Edwards bunted her to second. Young then stole third, and Sharon Murdoch came in to pinch-run. Evans singled, and Murdoch came in to tie the score.

Now reaching the three-hour mark, the game went to the 11th inning. With one out, Griffin drove in Elyse Edwards for the game-winning run.

With the exception of four innings, Griffin pitched the entire tournament. In 32 innings of work, she allowed 24 hits, and walked only two.

&uot;This team is very special,&uot; said head coach Clay Griffin. &uot;I’ve coached a lot of good teams, but this one is special because we have gone through so many personal changes. These girls just refused to lose.&uot;