One-Hit Wonder: Delahaba, Blessing Lead Broad Run

Spartans Reverse ‘Hex’ to Defeat Host Park View

By Paul Tenorio

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

As he stood in the visiting dugout watching Virginia AA Dulles District counterpart Park View warm up, Broad Run Coach Ed Steele reflected on the close games the two teams had played over the past few years.

"It's always a challenge playing here," Steele said. "I don't know why. One of those hex things, I guess."

But on Tuesday evening in Sterling there would be no such hex on the Spartans. Sophomore center fielder Anna Blessing went 3 for 4 with six RBI and senior Caitlyn Delahaba pitched a one-hitter to lead No. 1 Broad Run to a 7-0 victory.

With the win, the Spartans (18-0, 12-0) captured their third consecutive district title and extended their win streak to 47 games.

"Our goal was just to keep hitting the ball, not to quit, not to let up and give that pitcher a chance to get us down by striking us out," Steele said. "As long as you hit the ball it's going to sometimes go your way."

Broad Run has posted shutouts in all but one game, a 4-3 victory over Battlefield on March 29 (the Spartans gave up all three runs in one inning in that game). It has posted 11 consecutive shutouts.

For Blessing, who battled through mononucleosis earlier this season, the performance showed the talent of a sophomore who since getting healthy and being inserted into the starting lineup has been Broad Run's top offensive performer over the past four weeks.

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Broad Run Defeats Park View, 7-0

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Broad Run's Anna Blessing leaps to home plate after hitting a home run. Blessing and her team went on to beat Park View, 7-0. (Preston Keres)

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Broad Run's Caitlyn Delahaba makes a pitch, one of the many that contributed to her shutout against Park View. (Preston Keres)

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Broad Run's Anna Blessing hits a three-run single in the first inning. She would also hit a home run later in the game. (Preston Keres)

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"Anna is a superstar in the making," Steele said. "She started the season with mono so she was playing part-time maybe for the first month, and then around the ninth, 10th game she was healthy and we put her in center field and wow. She's probably the leading hitter right now for the last five weeks, at least."

Broad Run didn't start the game as they may have wanted. A pop out on a sacrifice bunt attempt gave it two outs. But the Spartans came back with a rally and behind Blessing's three-RBI single jumped to a 4-0 lead.

The Spartans extended the lead to 7-0 in the top of the third inning. Karla Powell led off with a single and Haley Johnson got on with a bunt. Again Blessing stepped to the plate and she crushed a three-run shot over the right field fence.

"I just tried to go out there and keep up my batting average, really," Blessing said. "I just wanted to hit the ball and get in some runs so that we could beat Park View by a lot."

For Blessing, having a game like Tuesday night's feels even better after her early-season battle with mono.

"It was horrible to be out for even just a week and a half, not being able to even practice with the team because we just have so much fun," Blessing said. "I'm just excited to be out here and be able to produce for the team."

Delahaba continued her dominant season, striking out nine and walking three.

For Park View (10-5, 9-3) and Coach Ed Abner, the loss was disappointing, but his team's performance had some positives on which to build.

"I was just telling the girls you were three or four pitches away from still being in this game," Abner said. "We swung the bats a lot better than we did the first game, [Delahaba] perfect-gamed us the first game. And I'm not saying we killed her today but at least we put the ball in play and made some things happen.

"No, [it was] not what we envisioned, but not a horrible result either because I think the girls started to see we can put this ball in play and make something happen."

Tagged: Broad Run High School, Park View High School, softball

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