EAGLES CLIP WOLVERINES WITH LATE-INNING HEROICS

By Adam Paul
Updated: March 13, 2018

2018 EAST COUNTY PREP GIRLS SOFTBALL

By Adam Paul

EastCountySports.com

FALCON FIESTA

GRANITE HILLS 5, WESTVIEW 4 (9 INNINGS)

Late inning heroics lead the Eagles to triumph and a good start to the Falcon Fiesta tournament.

The Eagles would take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Bailey Wallace (1-4, R, RBI) singled with one out, she advanced to second on a miscue, Sydney Huse (3-5, 2 RBI, 3B) singled advancing Wallace to third, Wallace would come into score on another Wolverines miscue.

Both teams kept each other in check until the bottom of the fourth when the Wolverines took advantage of their opportunities with two outs and scratched three runs across the board to take a 3-1 lead.

Granite Hills was able to do some damage of their own in the top of the fifth inning as Morgan Kelly (1-4, R, RBI, 3B) led off with a triple, Haley Johnson (1-3, R) singled, a couple batters later with one out Huse roped a ball to center that scored both Kelly and Johnson to tie the game at 3-3 and Huse would end up at third for a triple but she would be stranded.

Moving to the top of the sixth inning and the game still tied the Eagles with one out would receive a smoked double by Catie Dobbs (2-4, 2B), Erica Simon (RUN) came into run, Brooke Bertussi (1-3) would hit a grounder to third that was misplayed allowing her to reach safely at first, Simon moved to third on the error. The next batter Kelly on a 2-2 count grounded out but Simon raced home for the score to put the Eagles up 4-3.

However, the one-run lead was short-lived as the Wolverines would tie the game at 4-4 on a two-out double.

Moving along as both teams set each other down and didn’t allow much. It was now the top of the ninth and still International Tie Breaker for the Eagles. The Eagles had McKenzie Boehm (RUN) put at second base, Johnson would sacrifice Boehm to third, Wallace would knock Boehm in on a sacrifice fly to put the Eagles up 5-4. The Eagles were in business and looking for more and almost would get more as Huse followed with single and Staci Chambers would walk but the next batter would be retired for the final out.

Now with the one run advantage, Chambers went back out to the circle and business. She promptly did her business as she set down the Wolverines in order 1-2-3 to end the contest.

In the win Chambers tossed all 9 innings, giving up 4 runs of which 1 was earned on 5 hits, walked 1 and fanned 9 on the day.