South rises with balance to rout Hubs

May 05, 2007|By CHRIS CARTER

The South Hagerstown softball team found balance between patience and eagerness Friday against North Hagerstown.

The Rebels drew three walks in a three-run first inning and batted around in the fifth inning to roll to an 8-2 MVAL Antietam victory.

South (6-10, 5-9) had four first-pitch hits and batted around in its five-run fifth.

"They're always told to be aggressive like that," said South coach Angie McQuillen. "Sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't."

The Rebels put five runners on base before the Hubs (8-8, 7-6) recorded an out in the fifth. Allison Grove and Mallory White each singled to open the inning and Sarah Mertz loaded the bases when North botched a fielder's choice.

Desiree Giffin doubled to right field to drive in two runs and Brittany Hyatt followed with a run-scoring single to put the Rebels ahead 6-0. Amy Clipp had an RBI groundout and Jodi Sneckenberger added an RBI single to up the lead to 8-0.

"Once we got a few runners on, we wanted to make sure we got them in," McQuillen said.

The Rebels used three free passes, two wild pitches and an error to take a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Senior pitcher Brianna Hammond protected the lead by holding the Hubs to just one hit through five innings.

"She's very capable of throwing that kind of game," McQuillen said. "She just needs to stay confident."

Hammond's confidence was tested in the sixth inning. Destanie Agee reached on an error and moved to second on a single by Alyssa Collier - only the second Hubs runner to move past first base in the game. Both runners scored on singles by Kelly Toms and Caroline Kreiger, before Hammond induced a groundout to get out of the inning, holding an 8-2 lead.

North got two more hits in the seventh, but neither scored as Hammond ended the game with her fourth strikeout and avenged a 5-4 loss to the Hubs on April 18.

"I threw mostly fastballs, with a couple of changeups. I was just trying to work the corners, in and out for strikes," said Hammond, a four-year varsity player. "That was the first time I've ever lost to North in softball, so I definitely wanted to come back and beat them."

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