With runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Warhill freshman Jasmine Ortiz stepped to the plate with the Lions and York Falcons tied at 3-3.
Warhill coach Meredith Powell gave the runners a sign that told them not to leave their bases until the catcher makes a move to throw the ball to first base.
Ortiz smacked a slow roller that drew York catcher Devon Smith from behind home plate to collect the ball and throw it to first. Smith successfully corralled the ball and threw Ortiz out at first place, but not before Keely Rochard made her way home from third base, giving the Lions a 4-3 lead.
Warhill held on in the seventh inning to complete the 4-3 win against the Falcons at home Monday. Powell said the win was important to her team after dropping the opener to Smithfield.
“We came out slow again like we did against Smithfield, but they were able to rally back,” Powell said. “It shows the girls, especially the young girls we have playing, that they can fight and they can be in it in this conference.”
The game began inauspiciously for the Lions. With two outs in the top of the first inning, the home plate umpire called a walk for batter Chelsea Evans, York’s starting pitcher. The call was overturned and determined to have only been the third ball after Powell brought it to the umpire’s attention.
Evans was brought back to home plate and, on the next pitch, smacked a home run over the left-center fence, driving in two runs.
Warhill responded in the bottom of the first inning after Rochard, Warhill’s starting pitcher, delivered a triple that drove in one run.
York got on the scoreboard again in the top of the second. With the bases loaded and one out, Destiny Martinez got clipped by a Rochard pitch that allowed Molly Rogerson to score from third base. The Lions managed to prevent any more damage by turning a double play to close out the inning.
After allowing three runs over the first two innings, Rochard, who has commited to play at Virginia Tech, settled down and pitched five shutout innings for the Lions.
“We’re very fortunate to have two [division I] pitchers,” Powell said. “Last year [Rochard] got some limited time against people. This was her first real big start. For her to come out and play like that, especially after the first inning, it’s a big deal.”
In the bottom of the fourth inning, back-to-back RBI from Olivia and Hayley Schulz tied the game up at 3-3, setting the stage for the late-game heroics by Ortiz.
The win moved Warhill to 1-1 on the season, while the loss drops York to 1-1. Both teams will face quick turnarounds, as Warhill travels to Bruton and York visits Poquoson on Tuesday. Both games will be played at 4:30 p.m.
York 3 Warhill 4
York: 210;000;0 — 3 6 1
Warhill: 100;201;x — 4 6 0
WP: Keely Rochard
LP: Chelsea Evans
York: Evans (1-3, HR, 2 RBIs), Maddi Capps (2-2, BB, SB)
Warhill: Rochard (2-2, 3B, RBI), Jasmine Ortiz (1-3, RBI)
Tabb Freshman Verstynen Logs Three Hits, Steals Three Bases in Win
Amber Verstynen, a freshman at Tabb (1-1) and the daughter of Coach Brian Verstynen, came up big for the Tigers during Monday’s home game against Smithfield.
Verstynen went 3-4 from the plate and showed savvy on the basepaths, stealing three bases and crossing home plate twice during Tabb’s 6-3 win.
After getting down 1-0 after the first inning, the Tigers took advantage of a pair of walks to set up a Kendell Woodell double that drove in a pair of runs.
Jade DeSimone and Skyler Crees hit back-to-back doubles to put the game out of reach in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Tigers up 6-3.
Brian Verstynen said though Tabb pitcher Alexis Gore did not tally a magnificent game statistically, she picked her spots well and forced enough ground balls and popups to notch the victory. Gore allowed seven hits and three earned runs in the win.
Smithfield 3 Tabb 6
Smithfield: 100;020;0 — 3 7 0
Tabb: 003;012;x — 6 8 2
WP: Alexis Gore
LP: Sydney Gay
Smithfield: Throckmorton (RBI), Darden (2 RBIs)
Tabb: Amber Verstynen (3-4, 3 SB, 2 R), Kendell Woodell (1-3, 2 RBIs)
