Lady Spartans Kings Of Region II.....Again
The Lady Spartans claim another Region II Title on Saturday by beating the ladies from Orange County High School 2-1. The Spartans will be looking to claim their 3rd straight State Championship next week in Radford if they keep up their winning ways...
Photo By: Phil Dolinger / Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Sophomore sensation Maggie Betz fires a ball to Jen Soroka at 1st base during the final inning of Saturdays Region II Championship game. Betz made the final out of the game, helping the Spartans to secure the Region II crown by beating Orange County 2-1...
Photo By: Phil Dolinger / Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Senior pitcher Heather Jenkins pitched well through 3 innings against the Lady Spartans in the Region II Title game on Saturday afternoon. The hurler let up only 2 hits, while striking out 2 Spartans...
Photo By: Phil Dolinger / Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
ASHBURN, VA - The Broad Run Lady Spartans knew they needed to win Saturday's Regional II championship game in order to host the first round of the state playoffs on Tuesday. They also knew that their opponent, Orange County, would bring their best game with them when they arrived.
Things didn't start out that great for Broad Run in the top of the 1st as they gave up two base hits, but both runners were stranded as Judy Betz was able to get out of the jam. Orange County's Heather Jenkins grounded out, and then Betz struck out 2nd baseman Megan Roberts to end the threat.
The Lady Spartans got on the scoreboard first in the bottom half of the inning when Jen Soroka was hit by a pitch, and then scored from second on an Anna Blessing single to left. Soroka's effort at home was capped off by a head first slide, and Broad Run led 1-0 on Blessing's RBI base hit with two outs.
In the top of the 2nd, Betz struck out two Orange County hitters, and again the Fighting Hornets remained scoreless after their second trip to the plate.
Broad Run added to their lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Megan Waterman beat a throw home on a Maggie Betz ground ball in the infield. That made the score 2-0, and it stayed that way until the top of the 7th inning.
In the 4th inning, Orange County replaced their starter with sophomore Micalah Sacre, and she was dominant to say the least. She shut down Broad Run's offensive attack, striking out 7 Spartan hitters the rest of the way, and didn't allow a hit.
The problem for Orange County was Judy Betz was just as good. In the 5th inning, she struck out the side, giving her 9 strikeouts in the first 5 innings of work. The Fighting Hornets threatened in the 7th inning, and made the game a little too close for comfort when Paige Pritchett reached on a fly ball to left. The ball fell between Waterman and left fielder Jen Kramer, and Pritchett advanced all the way to second. She later scored when teammate Megan Roberts grounded out to Waterman to make the score 2-1.
However, Betz buckled down and got the out that mattered most when she got Amanda Murphy of Orange County to ground out to 3rd. The out secured the Region II Championship yet again for Broad Run, and the Lady Spartans will host Powhatan on Tuesday in the state quarterfinals. If they win, they will make their 3rd consecutive trip to Radford and defend their back to back state championships in 2007 and 2008.
Senior Haley Johnson said the key to the win hinged on how Broad Run fared against the meat of the Orange County batting order.
"We knew that most of their players could hit really well, that their 1 through 5 batters were really good hitters," said Johnson. "We had to make sure that we kept the ball low and picked the right pitches to throw."
Entering the 2009 spring season, many wondered if the Lady Spartans could contend for another regional title, much less a state championship. Ed Steele's group had numerous new faces in key positions, most notably on the mound with Judy Betz. But here they are, just two wins away from playing for their 3rd straight state championship, and Steele said he is very proud of this year's team.
"Well I knew if we got back here it would be a fun ride, because we weren't going to blow too many teams away, especially the good ones," Steele said. "But they rose to the occasion and I am really proud of them."
Gameday's Josh Restivo Contributed To This Story.....
