For most teams, the perfect way to end the Central Region softball tournament is with a win. For Lee-Davis, the word “perfect” carries some extra special meaning.

  Confederates’ pitcher Kelly Heinz faced 21 Matoaca batters in this year’s final. None of the 21 Warriors reached first base as she led host Lee-Davis to a “perfect game” 6-0 championship victory Friday.

  Both teams advanced to the VHSL Group AAA state tournament. The Confederates host Northwest Region runner-up Halifax Tuesday at 7 p.m., while Matoaca travels to Battlefield.

  Heinz steamrolled through the slate of Central Region opponents, one-hitting Clover Hill in the quarterfinals and no-hitting previously unbeaten Thomas Dale in the semifinals. She struck out 12 Matoaca batters, including the side in the third and sixth innings.

  “It feels great to do all this, but it’s not the end for us,” said a practically minded Heinz. “We still have to push through and work hard every single day. It’ll pay off in the end.”

  Fans were aware of her impending feat, some even risking a jinx by mentioning “perfect game” before it was over. Heinz knew she had a chance at one, too, but tried to not think about it.

  “I think I always jinx myself when I think about it,” Heinz said. “I just hoped my defense would back me up. I knew they would and hoped for the best.”

  Ironically, the last batter she faced was Matoaca pitcher Jessica McCabe. Heinz stepped off the rubber and paused briefly before going for the final out.

  “We had everybody standing up in the bleachers. Everybody was cheering and screaming and I knew everybody was kind of getting antsy,” Heinz said. “I saw a couple of outfielders jumping around looking forward to it. I was just trying to make sure everybody was calm and took a break before that final batter.”

  Heinz need not have worried. She struck out McCabe to end the game.

  Like most everyone else, Lee-Davis coach Jackie Davis was aware of what was happening.

  “I was aware of what was going on,” Davis said. “I just kept looking at my scorecard going ‘I’m not going to say a word. I’m just going to let it happen.’ I’m always afraid to jinx that by saying something.”

  Matoaca coach Scott Driskill praised Heinz’s performance.

  “I’ve never seen one of those,” Driskill said of the perfect game. “She was on. Even my best hitters had a hard time getting a piece of her. She was very impressive.”

  Driskill also was impressed with the other eight players supporting her.

  “We actually put it in play hard a few times, but they made some good plays out there defensively,” Driskill said. “They’ve got a good team behind her.”

  Matoaca was pretty good, too. The Warrior team that eliminated Patrick Henry in the quarterfinals, held Lee-Davis scoreless for the first four innings, despite the Confederates loading the bases with one out in the first and getting players to second and third with two outs in the fourth.

  Davis knew the lack of scoring was not a function of lack of effort.

  “We were hitting the ball well all night, but we were just hitting the ball right at people,” Davis said. “I told them just to continue to stay relaxed at the plate and continue to try to make some adjustments. I told them to stay relaxed and things would start to fall into place.”

  Good things finally began to happen in the fifth inning. The Confederates’ No. 9 batter, Lacie Madison, singled, stole second, advanced to third on Haleigh Cottrell’s groundout to second base, and scored on a single by center fielder Charyssa Parent.

  Lee-Davis scored five insurance runs with two outs in the sixth inning. Taylor Melton singled and scored on a triple by Madison. Cottrell reached on a fielding error that also scored Madison. Parent singled and Heinz drove Cottrell in with another single. Casey Price then tripled home Parent and Heinz.

  “We were able to score that first run, and things opened up for us a little bit,” Davis said. “They did a great job, though. They kept plugging away until they got it through.”

Matoaca…..........000 000 0 — 0   0 2
Lee-Davis…...... 000 015 x — 6 11 0
McCabe and Driskill. Heinz and Cottrell. W – Heinz. L – McCabe.
Records: Matoaca 16-7, Lee-Davis 23-1