Softball: Valley Peaking in Cedar Run District

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Thursday, April 24, 2008

One week ago, Battlefield High School sat atop the Virginia AAA Cedar Run District, undefeated and ranked No. 4 in the Washington Post area rankings. Since then, both Loudoun Valley and Stonewall Jackson edged the Bobcats in one-run contests to force a logjam at the top of the district.

Wednesday night, the Vikings traveled to Manassas to take on the Raiders with first place on the line. Behind a strong pitching performance from junior Caroline Williams and a couple timely fifth-inning hits, Valley tightened its hold on the top spot with a 2-0 victory.

Williams and Stonewall Jackson starter Melissa Kirby controlled the game early, with the Vikings getting only two hits through the first four innings while the Raiders managed three. Kirby rode her change-up to several early strikeouts and used it to get out of a two-on, two-out jam in the third. But the Vikings finally got to her in the fifth.

Sophomore first baseman Shelby Wassman crushed a Kirby fastball over the fence in dead center for the first run of the game to lead off the inning, putting a charge in her dugout and briefly rattling the Raiders' pitcher.

“I think that's a situation where you've got a good pitcher facing a good batter and the batter guessed right,” Spicer said. “She got a good look at a pitch and was able to open it up for us there.”

The Vikings (11-1, 6-1 AAA Cedar Run) took advantage of the opening, getting an insurance run when senior shortstop Rachel Harvey drove in Logan Tretick with a single up the middle. Tretick, who got on after being hit by a pitch, stole second base with Harvey at the plate to move into scoring position.

“We've had six or seven one-run games,” Loudoun Valley Coach Joe Spicer said. “Two runs, to us, is a luxury, so I was willing to take a couple chances to see if we could get that insurance run. It worked out for us tonight.”

The Raiders (9-3, 3-3) threatened in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases after a two-out single by Ashley Smith and an eight-pitch walk to Kirby. Catcher Casey Miller - who just missed home runs on two blasts just short of the wall in center - stepped to the plate but Williams got her to flyout to right to end the inning.

Williams allowed three hits in seven innings, walking two and striking out six. She struggled with her command at times but was able to throw strikes when she needed them. The shutout was her second in as many games. She threw a one-hitter in a 5-0 win over Fauquier last week.

“I thought tonight she wasn't quite as dominating as she was against Fauquier,” Spicer said. “She was a little up in the zone, but she managed to be tough when she needed to be tough. She's starting to show that as an upper-classman she has the ability to get tougher when there are base-runners in scoring position. So that's the development of a young pitcher.”

The Vikings have now won seven straight, but still have seven district games to play after multiple postponements. With games against Battlefield, Stonewall Jackson and Osbourn Park - the only team to beat them this season - still left on the slate, they cannot afford to overlook anyone in the second half.

“This district is really, really good,” Spicer said. “Every game has been one or two runs and we've won quite a few in our last at-bat. We feel like we've won the first half. We've got a lot of work left to do, but we'll take for sure.”

Tagged: Loudoun Valley High School, softball

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