By Stephen Smoot
For years, Petersburg has served as one of the power programs of Potomac Highlands regional high school softball. This year, they have relied on great defense, timely hitting, and the pitching prowess of Sammy Colaw.
Earlier in the season, Petersburg and Pendleton County matched their ace pitchers against each other, Colaw versus Baylee Beachler. That game remained tight all the way through as the two pitchers matched each other in excellence. Only a timely mistake cost the Wildcats the game.
In the next meeting during the Bub Riggleman Tournament, the two teams faced each other again. The Vikings elected to rest their star hurler in that matchup and Pendleton County won big, 16-8.
Many discounted the win, even though it takes an entire squad to prevail in a game.
Last week, Petersburg traveled to Franklin to face the Wildcats in an opposite situation than what played out in Moorefield. Pendleton County head coach Eric Crites elected to start the fast improving freshman Susan Vincell against the team ranked second in the state in the West Virginia Metro News coaches poll.
Prior to the game, the Wildcats honored veterans related to family members of the team. Players escorted veterans as their names were read and a special prayer was recited. It included “gratitude in our hearts from the selfless service of our veterans . . . in the powerful name of Jesus Christ.”
Then the youngster Madison Mongold regaled the crowd with a terrific rendition of the National Anthem.
The final box score belied the difficulties through which Vincell pitched in this game of living dangerously. She scattered five hits and walked three over five innings while earning the win, but Petersburg endeavored to challenge her every step of the way.
Petersburg got the first runner of the game aboard with a looping base hit not hard hit, but perfectly placed in shallow center between the second baseman and centerfielder. Somehow they hit that same spot repeatedly through the game. Vincell herself caught the first out, but saw the next batter single to shallow center.
The other prevailing theme of the day, stellar Wildcat defense, helped Vincell to close the inning. A sharply hit ball to third base was fielded by Kate Hedrick. She alertly stepped on third for the force, then fired an accurate throw to Lizzie Alt across the diamond for the double play.
Pendleton County batters could not score in their half of the first. The top of the second saw the Vikings smash a deep shot to the right field wall for a triple to lead the inning. That runner came home when the next batter hit the ball in the infield and the defender tried to catch the lead runner sliding into home. Petersburg scored a run on the play.
The Vikings put another runner on, but Vincell got the first out on a deftly placed off speed pitch that fooled the batter. The subsequent batter struck out swinging and the last out came on a fly ball.
In the top of the third, the Vikings again put two runners on, but Vincell shut down the inning with no damage. Pendleton County got their first run when Avery Townsend drew a one out walk, then stole second on the first pitch to the next batter, Jenna Smith. With Townsend in scoring position, Smith knocked a base hit to center and picked up the run batted in to tie the game.
Beachler then singled and reached second on an error, moving Smith to third. Jessica Parker then executed a key bunt to score Smith and help her team take the lead.
Petersburg earned a leadoff walk. The next batter looped a ball into shallow right, but Julia Mongold hustled to make the play, executing a basket catch on a dead sprint. Mongold again made a highlight reel type play in the top of the fifth. Petersburg got a leadoff single and the next batter hit a towering fly ball to deep right. Mongold backed up to the wall, leapt in the air, hit the wall and fell forward to the ground, but kept the ball in her glove to prevent a two-run home run.
In the bottom of the inning, Townsend earned a one out walk. She once again stole second. Smith rocketed the ball to the right center field wall to send Townsend home and push the score to 3-1. Beachler then came in and hit a deep ball to right field, scoring Smith. As she tried to stretch the play to third base, however, an outstanding Petersburg throw beat her by inches.
Beachler came in to pitch the sixth inning in relief of Vincell. She struck out each of the three batters she faced in the top of the sixth. In the final frame, Petersburg scored on an inside the park home run, but otherwise could not gain traction against Beachler’s speed. One of the final outs of the game came as a hard hit ball caromed off of Beachler, but Smith tracked the ball down and easily got the runner at first.
Wildcats win 4-2.
Crites praised his team after the game, saying “that’s a very good team. Petersburg has been the elite in the section, the region, and the state for a very long time.”
He added that the “win was well-earned” and that “we had to hit the ball to win against a ‘college pitcher.’”
“I can’t say enough about Susan Vincell who gave us five great innings,” he said. Vincell not only pitched well, but overcame challenges in every inning she worked to minimize the potential damage from Viking bats.
“I am really proud of how we came to play tonight,” Crites concluded.
