York’s softball team lost for the first time in more than a month in the Colonial Rivers Conference championship game against top-seeded Park View on Friday, but the Falcons accomplished their most important mission for the day: Clinch a spot in next week’s 3A East Region tournament.
Before taking the field against Park View to decide the inaugural conference champion, the Falcons first had some unfinished business to tend.
On Wednesday, York’s semifinal game against Colonial Heights was suspended because of thunderstorms in the bottom of the fourth inning with the Falcons clinging to a 3-1 lead.
The teams resumed play at 5 p.m. Friday – ahead of the 7 p.m. championship – and York held on to win 3-2. Sophomore pitcher Molly Rogerson, who allowed one run through four innings Wednesday, gave up one run to the Colonial in the top of the fifth, but gave up one hit the rest of the way to polish off the victory.
“That was the biggie,” York Coach Amy Hunter said. “Getting to regionals was our number one goal.”
Following a short break, No. 2 York returned to the field to play No. 1 Park View in the conference final, a game that would decide who travels or hosts the region tournament opener.
Rogerson toed the rubber once again and pitched well, but her counterpart, Park View’s Odicci Alexander, was a bit better.
Alexander overpowered York hitters with a humming fastball that limited the Falcons to two hits. One of them was a solo home run off the bat of Katie Russell, who pulled a fastball down the third base line in the top of the third to tie the game at 1-1 after Park View got on the scoreboard in the first.
Rogerson held the Dragons in check after their first at bat until the fifth inning, when Park View scored the eventual game-winning run on an error. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, Rogerson gave up back-to-back singles with two outs. On the second base hit, York third baseman tried to nab Park View’s Brooke Mason as she slid into second base, but her throw sailed into center field which allowed Alexander to trot home easily from third.
York put three runners on base over the final two innings, but could not string together enough hits to produce the game-tying run.
Alexander finished with an impressive pitching line: a complete game two-hitter with seven strikeouts.
“We faced a completely different pitcher in the first game, and usually you have a day or two to prepare for who you’re going to face,” Hunter said. “But she threw a great game. They were the better team today.”
Visibly frustrated as she watched Park View accept the conference championship trophy, York senior Maddie Rogerson was able to find inspiration from the loss, which was the Falcons’ first since a 6-3 loss to Warhill on April 26.
“This showed us if we don’t come to play, people can beat us,” Rogerson said. “They kicked us in the butt today.”
Park View 2 York 1
York- 001;000;0 – 1 2 1
Park View- 100;010;x – 2 4 0
WP: Alexander
LP: Rogerson
Park View- Mason 2-3, Alexander 1-2 (2 runs, SB)
York- Russell 1-2 (solo HR)
