MONMOUTH – With five freshmen in the starting lineup and one senior on its roster, the Monmouth Academy softball team doesn’t fret much about style points.
The Mustangs simply keep involving themselves in close games, keep putting the ball in play, keep driving their MVC opponents to distraction with aggressive base-running and keep winning.
Monmouth scratched out three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning without the benefit of a hit. Then reliever Brittany Hilton retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to secure a 9-8 victory over Georges Valley at Chick Field.
That’s 10 straight wins since a season-opening loss to Mt. Abram, representing Monmouth’s best start since returning to Class C. The Mustangs won four Class D state titles in a five-year span that ended in 2001.
“Some days we look like a million bucks. And some days,” said Monmouth coach Rachel Bernier, “I get so many more gray hairs that I think I’d better make a trip to Rite-Aid. And some days it’s both.”
True to that unpredictable form, Monmouth scored its winning run in the middle of a double play. Jill Armstrong raced home on Katie Woodman’s sacrifice fly before Chelsea Grant was cut down behind the play on an alert throw to third base.
Only the weather (warm and sunny at the appointed 4:30 p.m. game time, thunder clouds and an ill wind by the 6:45 conclusion) turned on a dime more quickly than the Mustangs’ fickle fortunes.
Monmouth mustered only two honest-to-goodness base hits: Hilton’s two-run double in the first inning and Kayla Chick’s infield single in the second. The Mustangs made four errors and three wild pitches and twice bid farewell to three-run leads.
But they delivered the final counterpunch in the sixth with fundamentals and quick feet.
“We were just as young last year, and losing so many games by the mercy rule, you don’t get to teach how to stay with it when you face adversity,” said Bernier. “Today, we were in that situation and we were able to come back against a good team.”
Jess Gray drew a one-out walk, her third of the game. Chick hit a slow roller to shortstop that wound up an unsuccessful fielder’s choice, putting runners at first and second.
Armstrong slapped another ball to pitcher Heather Watts’ right. Again, the attempted force play at third failed, loading the bases. Next, it was Grant’s turn to drop one in the dirt along the third base line. The throw to the plate wasn’t in time to nail Gray, and when it sailed high, Chick scampered home with the tying run.
Woodman, who scored two early runs, then lofted the game-winning fly to Loralie Franklin. The center fielder made three notable momentum-stealing defensive plays for the Buccaneers (6-4).
“(Franklin) ended a couple of innings that could have been big rallies for us,” Bernier said.
Georges Valley scored three runs in the third inning and four in the fifth to overcome deficits of 3-0 and 6-3. Juliette Laaka homered in the sixth to make it 8-6.
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