ISLE OF WIGHT—Isle of Wight Academy is one win away from hosting the Metro Conference Softball Tournament, which begins Tuesday, May 10.

Win or lose, the Lady Chargers, who are 9-0 in conference, should finish no worse than second and receive a first-round bye.

Coach Chris Hooper said the team would prepare for the post season by working on tough in-game scenarios during practice.

“We are trying to make situations in practice harder than ones they face in a game,” he said. “We’re trying to cover weak spots. We are focusing on weak spots and making them strengths.”

With a record of 11-1 overall, IWA played conference foe Broadwater Academy Thursday night; results of the game were not available by press time. The team will play Windsor High School Monday.

In action from Wednesday, IWA eighth-grade pitcher Bailey Key struck out six and gave up three hits on less-than-stellar field conditions to lead the Lady Chargers to a 13-1 victory over Alliance Christian.

“It was her first start,” Hooper said. “We wanted to use her and thought it was a good day to throw her in.”

Key pitched a complete five-inning game and only really struggled to gain footing on a muddy circle.

“I’m glad we got the game in, but it was a little sloppy,” Hooper said. “The pitching circle was a slip and slide.”

Key also went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs. Kenzie Connor went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Brook Small went 2-for-4, had one RBI and scored twice.

In action from Monday, pitcher Shelby Jurewicz struck out eight en route to an 8-0 victory over Atlantic Shores Christian School.

The sophomore pitched a complete game shutout and gave up six hits to improve her record to 4-0 on the season.

The win was an improvement defensively for the Lady Chargers after they gave up eight runs in a previous win against the Virginia Beach school.

“Our defense is near where we’d like it to be,” Hooper said Wednesday.

Bailey Key went 2-for-3 from the plate, scoring a run, and Brooke Small went 3-for-3, scoring two runs.