Carroll County claimed the top spot once again in the three-team race for the Three Rivers District regular season title by defeating Patrick County 2-1 Tuesday night at Cavalier Park.
Carroll (15-2, 8-2 Three Rivers District) entered the game tied with the Lady Cougars in the loss column but Holly Miller changed all of that with one swing in the bottom of the eighth inning. With Brooke Webb standing on third base with the winning run, Miller laced the game-winning double down the right field line to send the home fans home happy at the 2:17 mark of a contest that held a little bit of everything.
Both starting pitchers, Emma Leath (14) and McKenzie Holt (13) recorded double-digit strikeouts. Both teams struggled against the duo early with the exception of Patrick catcher Journey Moore.
Moore worked Leath for a 12-pitch base on balls leading off the contest and would later account for the game’s first run in the top of the third inning. Moore guessed correctly on the first pitch of her second at bat and lined a solo home run just over the fence in right field. The effort from Leath was arguably her best of the season when you consider everything that Carroll County had riding on the outcome.
The final stat line showed 14 strikeouts, three walks, five hits and one earned run allowed over eight innings. Leath raised her career total of strikeouts to 684 and is now 10 shy of the record held by Sydney Nester.
Leath pitched out of jams with runners on second and third base and only one out in both the first and fifth innings. Holt pitched herself out of a bases loaded with no outs situation in the bottom of the second inning by striking out three straight Lady Cavaliers.
Leath received monstrous defensive help from both Laiken Burnett in the fourth inning and Brooke Webb in the seventh. Burnett dove forward to snag a bunt attempt with one out and proceeded to turn it into a double play while Webb retired Moore for the first time in the seventh inning with a tuck and roll dive to snag a sinking line drive.
Isabella Norman stroked an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning, chasing home Burnett with the game-tying run. Burnett, Miller and Katherine Lindamood each recorded multiple hits while Norman and Miller accounted for the game-tying and game-winning RBIs.
“Wow! What a game! Tonight was two really good teams going at it with all that they had,” said Carroll County head coach Rick Nester. “We talked about it before the game that there are 21 outs to be made and not to get up too much or down - just keep playing the game. Our girls tonight showed a lot heart and will, fighting back to tie the game and then win it in extra innings. Two pitchers going head-to-head with ours coming out better than theirs. We had big defensive plays from both teams. We talked about it last week about taking hits away during the course of the game. We did that twice in diving catches from Brooke Webb and Laiken Burnett. We had coming off the bench to pinch hit, Isabella Norman, the game-tying RBI. Going into extra innings Laiken Burnett lays down a sacrifice bunt to move Brooke Webb over to third. Laiken beating that bunt out saved us an out and enabled us have Holly Miller back up in the top of the lineup. During Holly’s at bat we took a time out to let her relax, and I told her that she was going to give us a walk-off base hit so we could go home and eat a hotdog. Two pitches later, Holly laces a shot into right center and that was the ballgame! I’m really proud of their effort and determination to come out on top.”
Nester wasn’t the only one that left the park smiling just shy of 10 p.m. Both teams were well represented and the park was still full despite the late finish.
Carroll County has moved back into the #4 spot in regional seedings and would host Abingdon (#5) in the opening round if play started today. In regards to the one-game District Championship between the top two seeds, the Lady Cavaliers now control their own destiny. Both Patrick County and Alleghany have three league losses and Carroll County holds the tiebreaker with the Lady Cougars after sweeping the season series.
The team will enjoy the rest of the week off before finishing up the regular season with a flurry. Home games next Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights to close out the regular season. The opponent in each of the remaining games either defeated the Lady Cavaliers (James River) or played them to just one run (Radford and Pulaski County).
Patrick 001 000 00 - 1 5 1
Carroll 000 001 01 - 2 10 0
Holt and Moore (PC); Leath and Burress (CC). WP - Leath. LP - Holt. 2B - Norman, Lindamood, Greene (CC). HR - Moore (PC).
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