SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Before Wednesday, Greenbrier West's softball program had never won a game at the state tournament.
So Cavaliers' head coach Stephen Price wasn't necessarily surprised with what he felt were nerves that contributed to a 7-4 loss against Wahama in his team's state tournament opener.
A couple hours later, Greenbrier West was back in action against Trinity in an elimination game, and the Cavaliers accounted for seven consecutive runs after facing their only deficit of the matchup to claim an 8-3 win at The Rock at Little Creek Park.
"I don't think I changed anything," Price said. "We relaxed a little bit. After looking back at the first game, we had a lot of nerves, made a lot of stupid mistakes and we didn't throw strikes. You can't do that when you're in a state tournament."
GWHS (20-9) escaped unscathed in the top of the first after Trinity (13-12) positioned runners at the corners with one out.
The Cavaliers got a run-scoring single off the bat of Preslee Treadway to capitalize on a Trinity error and lead 1-0 through an inning.
Still trailing by one run in the third, the Warriors got Peyton Moore's second single in as many at bats, along with Paige Hopkins' walk to create an ideal situation for Josalyn Phillips, who capitalized in the form of a two-run double to right-center field.
Yet with a chance to increase its advantage that inning after having two in scoring position with one out, Trinity struck out in consecutive at bats against Cavaliers' pitcher Kyndall Taylor.
Greenbrier West was back in front by the time that inning ended as Madalyn Fields doubled in her team's second run and Taylor helped her cause with a run-scoring single to leave the Warriors trailing 3-2 entering the fourth.
Taylor retired Trinity in order in the fourth, and had the benefit of a two-run lead when she returned to the pitching circle in the fifth after Fields delivered a two-out, two-run triple in the fourth.
Dianna Porter's inside-the-park home run sparked a three-run sixth for Greenbrier West, before Moore scored Trinity's third run on a sacrifice fly in the seventh that followed her third hit out of the inning.
"They took a 2-1 lead on us and we came right back and took the lead, and in the fifth inning, we didn't score, but we loaded them up and some of the lower part of our lineup gained confidence," Price said. "If they're putting the ball in play, we're in pretty good shape."
Phillips and Moore led the charge offensively in defeat with three hits apiece.
Hopkins took the loss after being charged with eight runs on 15 hits over six innings. She struck out four and walked three.
Taylor struck out 11 over a solid seven-inning effort, while walking a pair.
"She has come through consistently and usually thrown strikes," Price said. "What more can you ask of her? Then our defense is usually pretty solid behind her."
Fields finished 4-for-4 with three RBI and was a home run short of the cycle. Brilee Redden added three hits and scored three times in the win.
The Cavaliers will play the loser of a winner's bracket matchup between Pendleton County and Wahama on Thursday, while the Warriors' campaign comes to an end at one game above the .500 mark in just their fourth year as a program.
"It's a big thing," Price said of the program's first victory on this stage. "We didn't come down here just to come and play two. We put ourselves in a hole, so now we have to try and come out of the loser's bracket tomorrow and take care of business."