Virginia Softball
South County, Loudoun Valley and Broad Run Advance to State Semifinals
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Wednesday, June 3, 2009
For the better part of last night's Virginia AAA state quarterfinal at South County, the Stallions' offense could not solve Atlee pitcher Jackie Jenkins. But when the Raiders' defense faltered, South County did just enough to keep its season alive.
"Every time someone makes a mistake, you've got to capitalize on it," said Stallions sophomore Julia Kastner, who drove home the winning run in a 2-1 victory. "You've got to show them that that was a bad thing to do."
South County trailed 1-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning and had one out when senior Meaghan Hunt lined a ball that went through the Atlee second baseman's legs. With two outs, Hunt moved to second on junior Karly Thompson's single, but the inning appeared to be ending when junior Michelle Boynton hit a grounder to the shortstop.
The throw to first was high, however, allowing Hunt to score from second and Thompson to move to third. She scored when Kastner lined a single to short right field and beat the throw to first on a close play.
"I just remember running as fast as I can," Kastner said.
The Stallions next play on Friday in the semifinals against Loudoun Valley, which earned a 3-0 home win over Tallwood last night.
"I know [the Vikings] have a really good pitcher," said South County pitcher Chelsey Dunham, who allowed five hits and one run and struck out six Raiders. "But I think we can compete. We've won district, we've won region, so states -- here we come."
The pitcher Dunham alluded to -- Loudoun Valley's Caroline Williams -- had a huge night in her team's win, throwing a three-hit shutout and adding her 10th home run of the season in the first inning.
Sophomore Jamie Crisp hit a two-run shot in the same frame, and once Williams had a three-run lead, she rolled through Tallwood's lineup, striking out 13 hitters.
"It was a pitcher's dream day," Williams said. "I had everything working for me and I was relaxed on the mound." . . .
Broad Run took another step toward its third straight Virginia AA state title by earning a 5-0 home win over Powhatan in the quarterfinals.
The Spartans scored three runs in the first inning and two in the second, and Judy Betz pitched seven strong innings.
