SUMMERSVILLE – As it turns out, thirteen wasn’t such an unlucky number for Greenbrier West’s Lady Cavaliers. The softball program has enjoyed unparalleled success this season, reaching thirteen victories in only thirteen tries. Arguably, the two toughest wins have come at the expense of Marie Shaffer’s Nicholas County Grizzlies. West defeated the Grizzlies at home on March 29 by a narrow 2-0 margin. On Tuesday night, the Cavaliers escaped Summersville with a gritty 3-2 win to preserve their program-best win streak.
The Grizzlies rolled out junior Cambria Neal in the pitching circle. Neal tossed two innings of relief in the first matchup between the schools, striking out three and allowing two hits. Cambria would be challenged by a Cavalier offense that averaged 14.5 runs per game. In the early going, Cambria was up to the challenge. Four Cavaliers succumbed to strikeouts, and two more were out on short pop ups to the infield. Brilee Redden singled harmlessly in the first inning but Maddie Fields hit a two-out single in the second that would prove to be critical. Fields was able to steal both second and third bases with Michaela Alley at the plate, then plated the first run on a passed ball by Grizzly catcher Kylie McKinney. Alley would fall victim to Neal on the next pitch, making the timing of the score even more critical.
Greenbrier West countered with freshman sensation Brilee Redden. Redden entered the contest with 72 strikeouts in 34.2 innings of work. Redden was masterful in the first two innings, striking out five batters and allowing a weak grounder that she fielded herself, throwing Neal out and holding Nicholas County scoreless.
The Cavaliers would take advantage of a couple of Grizzly errors in the third inning to produce some offense. Hannah Sweet reached first when her pop fly to third couldn’t be secured by Bethany Butcher. Brooke Patterson laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that moved Sweet to second, and Sweet came around to score on an error by first baseman Ashley Stephenson during a strange sequence with Redden at the plate. Redden’s fly ball was secured for the second out with West leading 2-0. Preslee Treadway stepped in to face Neal. In the first meeting on March 29, Treadway had laced a single to left field off Neal. This time around, Treadway would not miss. Treadway crushed a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence for a 3-0 advantage. The blast would be crucial in the outcome.
Nicholas County would try to claw back into the game in the bottom of the third. Kelsi Walker reached on a error, giving the Grizzlies a much-needed base runner. Makenzie Hanshew sacrificed with a bunt to Redden followed by another sac bunt from Stephenson to move Walker to third base. Skyler Nash delivered an RBI-single to centerfield that got the Grizzlies on the board, then advanced to third base on a Cavalier error. The Cavaliers got out of the inning when Desteney Walker threw Neal out at first, maintaining the 2-run advantage.
Neal would hold the Cavaliers at bay in the top of the fourth. Julia Herndon led off with a strikeout but reached on a passed ball to give West a coveted leadoff runner. Walker grounded out to Nash on a throw to first allowing Herndon to cruise into second. Herndon captured third on a Fields bunt single toward the bag, giving the Cavaliers runners on the corners. Fields would steal second on the first pitch, but Neal dug in and struck out both Alley and Sweet to squash the scoring threat.
Despite back-to-back errors by Cavalier infielders to begin the inning, Redden navigated the bottom of the fourth by striking out McKinney and getting Kelsi Walker to ground out on a bunt attempt. Neal did the same for the Grizzlies in the top of fifth, allowing only a single from Treadway. McKinney flashed some arm for the third out, catching Treadway in a steal attempt at second base to keep the score at 3-1 in favor of the Cavaliers.
Redden sandwiched a strikeout and ground out around a Stephenson single in the bottom of the fifth inning. Stephenson moved to second on the throw to first, and Butcher came through for Nicholas County with an RBI-double. The Grizzlies had pulled to within one run but Redden got Neal to swing late and ground out at first to end the inning. The Cavalier lead was down to a run with two innings left to play.
The Cavaliers threatened to add to their tenuous lead immediately. Emma Ames singled followed by a pair of walks from Herndon and Desteney Walker. With the bases loaded, Grizzly head coach Marie Shaffer made a change in the circle. Shaffer’s choice was the freshman, Hillary. Hillary did the job, striking out both Fields and Alley before inducing a weak grounder out of Sweet that she fielded herself, making the out and getting Nicholas County out of the bases loaded jam.
Redden remained effective if not dominant, getting Hillary and McKinney to ground out around a liner to Patterson in left field. The Cavaliers still lead 3-2 heading into the decisive seventh inning. Hillary, though, was masterful for the Grizzlies. Facing the top of the order, Hillary struck out Patterson in three pitches, forced Redden to ground out to Stephenson at first, and taking Treadway to a full count before striking her out.
The Grizzlies were down to their last at-bat. Life was breathed into the Nicholas County dreams of a rally when the leadoff hitter, Kelsi Walker, reached on a four-pitch walk. Redden battled back to strikeout Mackenzie Hanshaw for out number one. Walker quickly moved around the bases on a passed ball and a steal of third but Redden maneuvered through the batter to record her ninth strikeout. Now down to their last batter, the Grizzlies would succumb to West when Redden sliced through Nash on the straight pitches for the final out.
Class A #4 Greenbrier West takes their 13-0 record on the road to Richwood tonight at 5:30 before heading to Moorefield on Friday for the Bub Riggleman Tournament. Nicholas County hosts Class AA #4 Independence at 5:30.
GW (13-0) – 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 – 3 6 5
NC (6-10) – 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 – 2 3 4
GW: Redden and Herndon. NC: Neal, Hillary and McKinney. WP – Redden LP – Neal. GW – Redden 1-4; Treadway 2-4, HR, RBI; Ames 1-3; Fields 2-3. NC – Nash 1-4, RBI; Butcher 1-3, RBI; Stephenson 1-3. HR’s (Treadway, GW)
