NORTH ENGLISH – Thanks, girls.
For one glorious summer evening, the softball teams from Montezuma and English Valleys high schools got the social-distancing minds of their fans off COVID-19 and really into a captivating tournament game.
English Valleys won it, 3-1. The result hung on just about every pitch, and went down to the very last one. The game was played Monday evening, July 13.
Last week, the Bears put a mercy rule 10-0 shot on the Bravettes, and didn’t even use their primary pitcher. Hannah Marsh did throw this game for the Bears.
So Montezuma needed to do some work. Kallie Robison, the Bravettes’ pitcher, did much of it, striking out eight batters and scattering six hits.
The Bravettes undid some of it by making five errors. Robison yielded just one earned run.
The frustration for Montezuma in this game was missed opportunities. The Bravettes left 14 runners on base in seven innings.
Lack of key two-outs hits by the Bravettes wound up doing them in.
But what combat! Figuratively, these teams had their hands around each other’s throats until the last out separated them.
To be sure, these are young teams looking toward the future. Montezuma has just two seniors – Carissa Van Zee and Chloe Latcham. English Valleys has none.
The Bears scored a first inning run and took that 1-0 edge through Montezuma’s half of the fifth.
In the first, Clara Mews singled and Gwen Mews doubled for the Bears, putting runners on second and third with one out. Robison got the next hitter to pop out to Izzy Roorda at shortstop.
The next batter popped up a bunt down the third base line. The ball popped out of catcher Van Zee’s glove and fell in fair territory, plating the first English Valleys run.
In the Montezuma third, Latcham’s two-out single to center looked like it may bring home a run, but a great scoop and throw home by Bears outfielder Maddie Mikesell made the Bravettes runner retreat to third.
A strikeout by Marsh left ’em loaded for Montezuma.
A diving catch by Bravettes second baseman Jadyn Sharer probably saved the team a run in the English Valleys third. With two outs and a runner on second running on contact, a batter looped a ball over the pitcher’s head, but Sharer raced in and made a diving catch.
Montezuma left the bases full again in the fourth and left two on in the fifth.
Two English Valleys hits and two Montezuma errors plated two for the Bears in the fifth, to make it 3-0.
Hits by Kalynn Walters and Van Zee put Bravettes on second and third in the sixth, but Marsh got Jadyn Sharer to fly out to right field to end the frame.
The Bears put runners on second and third in the sixth, but Robison struck out two batters, and got the final out on a soft liner back to the circle.
In the seventh, Latcham singled, her second hit of the night in her final game. Kailey Shaffer hit into a fielder’s choice, then Roorda singled, and stole second. Katie Reynolds reached on an error, bringing home a run. Reynolds stole second, putting the tying runs in scoring position.
But Marsh got out of the jam with an infield popup and a strikeout to end the game.
The Bravettes had a run on seven hits, including two each by Latcham and Van Zee in their final games. English Valleys made six hits.
Robison fanned eight and Marsh struck out five. Each team made five errors.
UP NEXT – The Bravettes completed a memorable COVID-19 season with a record of 9-9. English Valleys, 10-5, plays at Sigourney on Wednesday night in the regional semifinals.
There is baseball Tuesday night in Montezuma, when the Braves host BGM in tournament play.
THANKS, SENIORS! – As noted, the game was the final one for Carissa Van Zee and Chloe Latcham.
