By Stephen Smoot
Good things come to those who wait.
After wind, cold, weather, and other obstacles kept the Wildcat softball team from taking the diamond against an opponent, Pendleton County finally got to take the field.
The opener presented no easy task, a road game against the rival Moorefield Yellow Jackets. Avery Townsend took the initial at bat of the season, tapping a one ball and one strike pitch gently down the first base side. She beat the throw, then benefited from a Jenna Smith sacrifice to move to third.
Townsend did not have to wait long to find her way home. Baylee Beachler drove a full count pitch deep to right field and helped her team post the first two runs. They were far from done.
Allie Vance pitched for the Wildcats in the bottom of the inning, placing her pitches perfectly in the strike zone on most occasions. She allowed a double to start, but then saw the runner get caught stealing when catcher Jessica Parker fired a throw to Kate Hedrick at third.
Vance got the second out on a strikeout and got the next batter to pop up to shallow right-center.
Moorefield put up two runs in the bottom of the second inning to knot the game at two.
Pendleton County struck next in the top of the fourth. Beachler lofted a lead off home run to center field. Lizzie Alt worked a walk in six pitches and was driven in when Hedrick smashed a screaming line drive to center field for a stand up double.
Moorefield then lifted starting pitcher Amber Williams for Susan Vincell, who promptly drew a walk. Both runners advanced during the next at bat for Parker to drive them in with a soft hit to third.
Still in the top of the fourth, Townsend cleared the bases with a two out inside the park home run to extend the lead to 8-2.
Beachler then came in to pitch in relief of Vance. Head coach Eric Crites had praised both the accuracy of Vance and the speed of Beachler as an outstanding combination for the pitching staff. Beachler allowed two runs in the bottom of the fourth before settling in.
In the top of the sixth, Wildcat bats erupted again. Beachler drew a one out walk and was driven in by an Alt stand up double. Hedrick moved Alt to third on a sacrifice. Alt scored during a passed ball on Nataley Hedrick’s at bat.
Beachler kept Moorefield from threatening in the fifth and sixth innings. She adapted after the fourth by changing speeds, introducing off speed offerings to confuse the batters trying to key on her fastball.
The Wildcats entered the seventh with a 10-4 advantage, but still had more work to do offensively.
The Yellow Jackets opened the inning in the worst fashion possible from their point of view, walking the bases loaded after getting the first out. They missed an opportunity to end the inning early when Wildcat base runners got caught in a run down during Beachler’s at bat. Moorefield, however, hung on to the ball and did not challenge the runners, who all returned safely.
Beachler drew a walk to send another run home, then Kate Hedrick cleared the bases with a towering grand slam home run.
In the bottom of the seventh, Crites lifted Beachler in favor of freshman pitcher Vincell. Although Vincell allowed two runs in her first ever varsity pitching action, she settled in and got the last three outs with well-placed pitching.
After the game, Petersburg native Crites praised Moorefield, saying the Yellow Jackets are “always a great team, always one of the hardest teams to beat.”
Crites also met his personal goal of getting every player on the roster an opportunity to make plays on the field. “All 14 players contributed tonight,” he stated, adding that all “stepped up well.”
Of his pitching, he said, “We have three excellent pitchers. Each one brings something different.”
