Emily Demel, Flyer staff writer
A flash of softball players dressed in green and black rushed out to the field, a calm look on all faces as they took their positions. Carroll had just beaten Maize South in the first of two games on Thursday, but it was a narrow defeat. Winning only by 3-0 came as a shock to fans, considering Carroll’s reputation for dominance. Despite their close call in the first game, the girls were ready to battle again and continue their undefeated streak.
Sammy Knoblauch takes the mound and throws her first pitch, and the struggle for victory will begin again. The girls are ready for Maize South this time around and easily throw the first three out. It is time to get their bats going.
Brittney Finney leads off. Considering her record for home runs it comes as no surprise that the Maize South pitcher, Kerrigan Dixon, does not give her a chance to hit. Four balls in a row and Finney is taking the jog down to first. Next up to bat is Meghan Gutierrez. A slapper from the left side, she hits a solid ball over the second baseman’s head letting Finney advance to second. Finney continues to advance and a ball past the catcher lets her get home. Another run scores, allowing the scoreboard to read 2-0 after the first inning.
The girls continue to shut out Maize South’s offense, hardly allowing anyone to see first base, let alone get all the way around.
A big confidence boost took place in the third inning. Brianna Hogan slams the ball out of the park with one girl already on base, making the score jump up to 4-0. The team continued to play well, scoring runs every inning and only allowing Maize South to score twice.
In the fifth inning, two more runs were knocked in, taking the score to 11-2. In softball if you are up by 10 after the fifth inning the game is called. BC needed one more run to score and with Madi Miller up to bat it was looking pretty good for Carroll. She hit a fly ball to deep right allowing Kelby Stalnaker to tag third and sprint home. Shouts of victory filled the air from the third base dugout. Carroll had done it once again.
Knoblauch pitched a great game, allowing only two runs to score. She acknowledged the necessity of her team behind her when she said, “It felt good to pitch a good game and have a great defense behind me.”
Chrissy Peppard is the assistant coach to the team and had nothing but rave reviews of the game and, in particular, the seniors. She said, “What I love about our seniors is the discipline they show. No matter what, they take care of business. They are good leaders and set great examples for the younger girls on the team.”
Said Callie Jo Gowing, “The first game our hits were not falling, but the second game we had a good energy and came through with a better win.”