COWEN, W.Va. (WVDN) – Surrendering seven first-inning runs was not in Cavalier head coach Tony Hinkle’s plans last Wednesday evening. Locking down a third victory in three days was more like it. The Cavaliers did both last Wednesday in an 18-8 comeback win over Webster County.
The Cavaliers jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage. Brooke Patterson led off with a single and promptly stole second. Brilee Redden lined an RBI single to the left side and advanced to second on the throw. After fly ball outs from Preslee Treadway and Maddie Fields, Emma Ames looped an RBI single into right field to score Redden. Desteney Walker hit a fly ball out to left field to end the inning, but the Cavaliers had gotten off to a good start.
The Highlanders were about to get off to a better start.
After Kaleigh Garcia grounded out to Treadway, the Webster County bats came alive. Darryn Loughridge tapped a single to centerfield followed by a Haley Holmes bloop single to right field. The Highlanders loaded the bases, when Maggie Cochran was hit by a pitch and scored one batter later, when Valerie Smith drew a bases loaded walk. Carly Short added an RBI line drive to centerfield that tied the game at 2-all.
Webster County wasn’t through.
Kyndall Taylor issued a walk to Hannah Wayne, scoring Cochran for a 3-2 Highlander lead. Coach Hinkle made a pitching change at that point, giving the ball to the freshman Redden. The result did not change, at least not immediately. Redden walked the next three batters, and the Highlanders surged out to a 6-2 advantage. A West error at third increased the lead to 7-2, before Redden could stop the bleeding with a strikeout and a groundout to end the first inning.
The Cavaliers immediately began to dig out of their first inning hole. Julia Herndon singled to centerfield then stole both second and third with Taylor at the plate. Taylor flied out to right field followed by a Hannah Sweet strike out. Herndon was able to score when Patterson reached base on an error and Redden collected an RBI single, both balls hit to the Highlander shortstop. The Cavalier rally ended on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Maddie Fields with West trailing 7-4.
Redden ripped through the Highlander batters in the bottom of the second inning, delivering only 10 pitches to collect three strikeouts. The quick inning was a welcome change from the first.
With more work to do on the offensive side, Ames reached on an error and was then put out on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Walker. Herndon then reached base on an error by Webster first baseman Malayla Delaney. Taylor notched an RBI single that scored Walker. Sweet then singled up the middle to load the bases for the Cavaliers, setting up a wild chain of events.
Patterson hit a fly ball into left field that Garcia settled under for out number two. Herndon tagged at third and bolted to the plate for the Cavaliers sixth run. Taylor had tagged up at second but was thrown out at third on Garcia’s throw to end the inning with the score 7-6 in favor of Webster County.
Redden, meanwhile, was finding her groove in the circle for the Cavaliers. She mowed down both Jazmine Stuber and Delaney. Garcia drew the two-out walk, but Loughridge grounded out to Treadway to end the half inning.
Loughridge, the Webster County hurler, answered in the top of the fourth. Loughridge set the Cavaliers down in order, inducing two ground outs sandwiched around a fly out to preserve the 7-6 advantage.
The Highlanders would increase their lead to 8-6 after Maggie Cochran logged a one-out single, and Allie Key was brought in as a courtesy runner. Key stole second and third and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of shortstop Valerie Smith. Redden struck out Carly Short with West down 8-6 after four complete.
Undaunted by the insurance run posted by the Highlanders, the Cavaliers kept the pressure on Webster County. Ames singled to start the fifth followed by an RBI triple from Desteney Walker. Herndon then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that tied the game at 8-all. Taylor singled to centerfield, and Brooklyn Adkins was then entered as a pinch runner. After Adkins advanced to second, Sweet drilled a ground ball to third and reached on an error. Loughridge collected a strikeout off Patterson but not before Sweet put herself in scoring position. With two outs, Redden delivered a two-RBI double that propelled the Cavaliers into the lead at 10-8. Loughridge got out of the inning, when Treadway grounded out to Delaney at third base.
From the bottom of the fifth on, Redden would not allow another Highlander baserunner. The freshman pitcher struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth, collected two more Ks in the sixth and a final strikeout in the bottom of the seventh. The West defense had their pitcher’s back for the remaining outs, with Treadway securing a fly ball, Walker throwing Key out at first and Redden helping her own cause with a defensive assist. Redden finished the game with a career-high 13 strikeouts.
Fields would add an insurance run in the top of the sixth on a Walker sacrifice fly. The Cavaliers would blow the game open in the top of the seventh with singles by Sweet and Patterson followed by a Treadway RBI double, a Fields RBI triple and an Ames RBI single. The icing on the cake was a Julia Herdon three-run blast that built the lead to 18-8.
The Cavalier bats were stellar in the victory. Ames was 3-5 with two RBIs, Taylor 3-5 with an RBI and Redden 3-5 with a double and four RBIs. Herdon went 2-4 with a home run and four RBIs, Fields 2-5 with a triple and an RBI, Sweet 2-5, and Patterson 2-5 with an RBI. Walker went 1-3 with a triple and two RBIs, and Treadway was 1-5 with two RBIs.
GW: 2 2 2 0 4 1 7 – 18 19 1
WC: 7 0 0 1 0 0 0 – 8 4 5
GW: Taylor, Redden and Herndon. WC: Loughridge and Holmes, Key, and Stuber. WP: Redden LP: Loughridge. GW: Redden 3-5, 2B, 4 RBI; Ames 3-5, 2 RBI; Taylor 3-5, RBI; Herndon 2-4, HR, 4 RBI; Fields 2-5, 3B, RBI; Sweet 2-5; Patterson 2-5, RBI; Treadway1-5, 2 RBI; D. Walker 1-3, 3B, 2 RBI. WC: Loughridge 1-4, RBI; Holmes 1-3; Short 1-4, RBI; Cochran 1-2; Garcia RBI; Stuber RBI; Wayne RBI; Smith RBI.
