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In a back-and-forth battle, the Rockbridge County High School softball team made a late offensive surge to earn a 13-8 road win in nine innings over rival Parry McCluer on Friday evening in Buena Vista.
The Wildcats (4-5) broke away from a 7-7 tie by racking up six runs in the top of the ninth inning while holding the Blues (3-3) to one run in the bottom half of the inning. It was the third consecutive win for the Wildcats – all last week.
Last year, the Wildcats and Blues split the season series, with RC winning 6-2 at home before PM won 3-2 in Buena Vista.
In Friday’s game, PM took a 1-0 lead in the first when Payton Emore scored on a grounder by Autumn Mundy.
The Wildcats answered back with three runs in the fourth, two on a fly ball to center field by Chasity Southers and one on a line drive to left field by Bella Dorey.
PM cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth when Olivia Julian hit a solo home run to left field, but RC went up 4-2 when Lilly Purcell hit a fly ball to left field to bring home Page Wright.
The Blues scored two runs in the sixth to tie the game 4-4, with Logan Vest stealing home and Julian hitting a line drive to center field to drive in Mundy. Gracey Shafer then hit a grounder to drive in Julian, giving PM a 5-4 lead.
The Wildcats answered with two runs in the seventh on a fly ball to left field by Purcell, and Marla Zollman hit a grounder to drive in Purcell, giving RC a 7-5 lead.
PM scored two runs on grounders by Mundy and Julian to tie the game 7-7. With one out, Mundy got to third base, but Sadie Moore struck out the next two batters to end the inning. Looking back on that missed opportunity to get the win, PM head coach Troy Clark said, “All we had to do was put the ball in play, and we didn’t do it.”
In the ninth, after the stadium lights were turned on, the Wildcats went on a hitting surge and scored on two errors to pull away. Due to the international tiebreaker rule, they started the inning with a runner, Purcell, on second base. Kaydence Wilson put the ball in play, and Purcell scored on an error to give RC an 8-7 lead.
Wright then hit a fly ball to center field to drive in Wilson, and Moore doubled on a line drive to left field to bring home Wright. Southers then doubled on a fly ball to center field to bring home Emma Hall, extending RC’s lead to 11-7. After Dorey walked, Southers scored on an error, and the Wildcats scored their final run when Zollman hit a fly ball to left field to bring home Dorey.
In the bottom of the ninth, RC catcher Parker Dameron caught a foul ball for the first out, and then Southers made a catch in left field for the second out. Emore scored PM’s final run on an error in the bottom of the ninth, but the Wildcats ended the game with a groundout to Purcell at first base.
Pleased with the way her team played, RC head coach Keston Pelter said, “We were really aggressive on the bases, and we’re still working on those routine plays on defense, but it’s still gonna come.”
Pelter said her players “are young, but they’ve improved each game. I had a goal this week. We took it one game at a time, one day at a time, and I told them, when we win, we have fun, so now I think it’s clicking and we’re having fun.”
Giving the Blues credit, Pelter said, “They played well, and the top of their lineup, their first four hitters, they’re solid. They have that speed, too. They work hard, too.”
The win was especially rewarding for Pelter because it was her first time beating the Blues with her father, Wayne Beverley as her assistant coach. Before joining the RC staff this year, Beverely was a longtime assistant coach for the Blues.
“Everybody has that bucket list item or their dream, and him being with me is something that I’ve wanted, coaching,” said Pelter. “He taught me everything, so to have him by my side now, I’m still learning. I’m always learning from him.”
On the other side, Clark said, “We played well enough to win. … It was a good game. We just didn’t finish.” He added that the Wildcats “had some good hits.”
The Wildcats racked up 17 hits while PM had six. Wright led the way with four hits and had two RBIs, Purcell had three hits and three RBIs, and five Wildcats recorded two hits each.
Emore paced PM with two hits, while Julian had one hit and three RBIs.
Zollman pitched the first five innings for RC, striking out 11 and allowing four hits, one walk and three runs (one earned). In the final four innings of her first game back from an ankle injury suffered in late March, Moore struck out six and surrendered two hits, one walk and three runs (two earned).
Proud of both of her pitchers, Pelter said, “Marla has worked hard, and I think we’ve got a good thing going with both of them. They complement each other well.”
For PM, Claudia Coleman pitched the first six innings, allowing 10 hits, one walk and seven runs (six earned). Julian came to the mound for the final three innings, striking out two and permitting five hits, two walks and five runs (two earned).
“Claudia pitched well,” said Clark. “I think she got a little tired.” The coach said Julian “came in and pitched well. The last inning was just a different situation.”
RC committed four errors, while PM had three.
The Wildcats and Blues will meet again at RC on Monday, May 1, at 5 p.m.
