.jpg)
Senior Kaydence Wilson hit a walkoff double to bring in the winning run in the Rockbridge County High School softball team’s 4-3 home victory over Valley District rival Harrisonburg last Wednesday in Lexington.
Wilson’s double to left field in the bottom of the seventh brought home Emma Hall and ended the Wildcats’ 10-game losing streak. The win over a larger Class 5 school helped the Wildcats (6-13 overall, 2-6 district), who are in Class 3, earn the 10th seed in Region 3C and trip to take on seventh-seeded Liberty (Bedford) today, Wednesday, for a Region 3C tournament play-in game, with the game time to be announced. For postseason updates, visit www.thenews-gazette. com.
With the victory, RC completed a sweep of the season series with Harrisonburg, which fell to 4-12 overall and 1-7 in the district. When the teams met on April 11 in Harrisonburg, the Wildcats won 11-4.
Before Wednesday’s game, the Wildcats honored Wilson and their three other seniors: Kelsie Caldwell, Lilly Purcell and Chasity Southers. Caldwell recorded two hits and two RBIs, Wilson had two hits and one RBI, Marla Zollman added one RBI, and Purcell and Bella Dorey each had one hit.
Commenting on Wilson’s walk-off double, RC head coach Keston Pelter said the senior third baseman hinted that might happen. “Kaydence made the comment yesterday, ‘The only way I’ll cry is if it’s the bottom of the seventh and it’s tied up and I’m up to bat.’” Pelter said the senior class was a special one. They were freshmen in 2020, which was going to be Pelter’s first year as their head coach, but spring sports were canceled then due to COVID-19. Pelter said she and her father, assistant coach Wayne Beverley, both “wished we had one more year with them, but I told them yesterday – because I’ve been watching the standings all week – I told them, ‘It’s up to y’all. Your destiny’s in your own hands.’” “My seniors have been really encouraging and pushing the girls and keeping them upbeat,” added Pelter.
Harrisonburg took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Camryn Johnson singled on a grounder to bring home Thaneisha Cedeno.
The Wildcats answered in the fourth when, with the bases loaded, Caldwell doubled on a fly ball to center field to drive in Southers and Page Wright, giving RC a 2-1 lead. The next batter up was Zollman, who singled on a grounder to bring home Dorey, making it 3-1.
Neither team scored again until the top of the seventh when Harrisonburg’s Idaly Alvarez singled on a grounder to bring home Kayli Alvarado and Rylee Stroop, tying the game 3-3.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Purcell singled on a fly ball to center field, and Hall replaced her as a courtesy runner. Wilson then made her big hit to left field to bring Hall home for the winning run.
Freshman Sadie Moore pitched a complete game for RC, striking out nine and allowing six hits, no walks and three runs. Moore had missed the April 11 game against the Blue Streaks due to a knee injury, but she was effective in the rematch against an improved Harrisonburg team. “That was a fresh perspective,” said Pelter. “I don’t think [the Blue Streaks] really knew the adjustment with that.”
Pitching a complete game for the Blue Streaks was Ashlyn Smiley, striking out nine and surrendering six hits, three walks and four runs.
McKenna Dayton led Harrisonburg with two hits.
The Wildcats and Blue Streaks each committed three errors.
Pelter said Harrisonburg is not a team “that anybody should sleep on. They have improved greatly from last year. Hats off to [Harrisonburg] coach [Derek] Smiley. He’s working on that program.”
The Wildcats missed the playoffs last year, when they went 7-13 overall and 2-6 in the district, and they are excited for the opportunity to extend their season. “It’s a new season now,” said Pelter.
