Lady Spartans Rally In The 6th, Win 5-1
Broad Run's Judy Betz scattered 5 hits and gave up just one run in Thursday's 5-1 win over Brentsville. Betz struck out 6 Tiger hitters in the contest...
Photo By: Phil Dolinger / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Reagan Doiron started the big rally off in the 6th inning with a lead off single. She later scored on Kate Sims' single, and Broad Run never looked back...
Photo By: Phil Dolinger / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Grace Nordan threw a solid game for the Tigers, but the 6th inning got away from her and Broad Run advanced with a 5-1 win...
Photo By: Phil Dolinger / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
ASHBURN, VA - Puddles and mud best described the field conditions Thursday night at Broad Run's softball field, but after an hour of hard work by volunteers and the athletic staff for the Spartans, the regional semifinal game as scheduled got underway.
Broad Run loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning against Brentsville's pitcher Grace Nordan, but the pitcher fought back to get out of the jam. Nordan struck out Reagan Doiron and Anna Blessing in consecutive at bats, and then got Kate Sims to ground out to end the inning.
The Spartans failed to capitalize on the opportunity, and the game remained scoreless heading to the 2nd inning. Brentsville put two runners on base with one out in the top of the 2nd, but Spartan pitcher Judy Betz got Marissa Emerman to ground out to second, and Megan Avakian to pop out to left to end the inning.
The game was tied until the top of the 6th inning, when Brentsville's Abby Carpenter laced a double to left centerfield with two outs. Kayla Dost then hit a ball in the exact same place to score Carpenter, and the Tigers took a 1-0 lead.
The Tigers were in good shape to knock off the two time defending state champion Spartans, but Nordan ran into trouble in the bottom of the 6th. Doiron led off the inning with a single to center, and Anna Blessing followed her with a single of her own to put two runners on with nobody out.
After Doiron and Blessing moved up to second and third on a wild pitch, freshman Kate Sims delivered with a line drive single right back over the head of Nordan on the mound. Both runners scored, and Broad Run took their first lead of the game 2-1. For Sims, the big hit came at a perfect time, and it was a big confidence booster.
"In the first couple of times up I was a little down because I hit two right back to the pitcher," Sims said. "But my teammates told me to keep my head up, and on the last at bat, I just tried to relax and hit the ball. I was glad it got through."
Broad Run's Jennie Himler knocked in the 3rd run for the Spartans when she hit a ground ball to shortstop Becki Tucker of Brentsville in the next at bat. Himler's grounder scored Sims from third, and she ended up safe at second when Tucker's throw home went under the catcher's glove.
After Jen Kramer's sacrifice bunt moved Himler over to third, Megan Waterman walked, and Haley Johnson did the same to load the bases with two outs. Maggie Betz then singled home two runs to give the Spartans a 5-1 lead.
In the top of the 7th, Brentsville went down in order, and the Lady Spartans lived to play another day with a come from behind 5-1 win.
The win gave Broad Run an automatic berth into the state playoffs yet again, and the Lady Spartans will host Orange County, who beat Briar Woods 5-3, in Friday's regional championship game. Steele said after the game that he fully expects Orange County to come ready to play.
"I'm sure we will get their best game," Steele said. "We aren't world beaters like we were last year, so on any given night it is going to be an exciting game. Friday's game is big because we want to host that first state playoff game next week."
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Kate Sims - Freshman Outfielder
Sims once again came through in the clutch for the Lady Spartans, delivering the 2 RBI single in the 6th to give Broad Run the lead for good. Head Coach Ed Steele said he was glad to see Sims get the big hit.
"She seems to always do that when you guys (Gameday Radio) are here," Steele said with a smile. "I wasn't about to take the bat out of her hands and ask her to bunt, and I'm glad I didn't because she came through for us."
Judy Betz - Senior Pitcher
Betz pitched well in Thursday's game, striking out 6 Tiger hitters and scattering 5 hits. Her fastball was impressive, and she had good control of her off-speed pitches. When the game was in her hand in the 7th to close out, she delivered with a strike out and two ground balls to first baseman Jen Soroka.
COACH HAYES' ANALYSIS:
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It's impressive that Broad Run continues to win at the highest level despite so many new faces on the roster. However, when the game was on the line on Thursday, some familiar faces came through big for the Lady Spartans. Reagan Doiron, Haley Johnson, and Anna Blessing all have two state championship rings, and they showed up when it was crunch time. Add in the clutch hitting of Sims and this team has the right blend of experience and youth that gives them a chance at getting back to Radford.
The biggest question is what will happen when they face even better pitching, which could come as early as Tuesday in the first round of the state playoffs. Can they score enough to win? That will be the deciding factor, because their opponents will have their chances to get on the scoreboard, whereas last year, they didn't have many opportunities to do that with Caitlyn Delahaba on the mound.
Speaking of Delahaba, we all knew she was a great pitcher on the softball field, but who knew she also is a future star in softball broadcasting. The Villanova sophomore to be joined me in the booth on Thursday, and did a great job of providing analysis on the air during the game. She did such a great job, she will return to the Gameday Radio Network Friday night for the regional championship game. First pitch is scheduled for 6pm with our live radio coverage beginning at 5:45pm.
