SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After leading by four runs in the sixth inning and two in the seventh, Jefferson was forced to go to extra innings in its Class AAAA elimination game Friday against St. Albans.
With the game tied at 5 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Cougars were on the verge of letting a golden opportunity go to waste when they loaded the bases but immediately followed by making their first two outs of the frame without plating the winning run.
With the Cougars’ Ainsley Phillips at the plate, Red Dragons’ freshman Kenzie Short went to throw a 2-2 pitch, but the ball slipped out of her hand and sailed well wide of the plate toward the first base side, allowing Caroline Abe to come home from third and Jefferson to prevail 6-5 at The Rock at Little Creek Park.
“She has a little more speed than the other two that had been on third base in the inning, and the thinking there is get the run in by any means,” Jefferson head coach Joe Rummel said.
It looked as though JHS (23-5) would win in far more comfortable fashion for much of the matchup.
Although a first-inning error allowed the Red Dragons (15-13) to score the game’s first run, St. Albans committed one of its own in the second with Phillips at the plate, and it brought the tying run in for the Cougars.
Jefferson got a run-scoring triple from Phillips and Jersey Rummel’s run-scoring single to build a 3-1 lead in the fourth.
The advantage grew to four runs in the fifth after Madison Clark drove in Grace Dodson with a single and Clark went on to score on an error.
But starting with a wild pitch that allowed the Red Dragons to plate a pair in the sixth, St. Albans came charging back in the late stages.
Jefferson led 5-3 in the seventh, but the Red Dragons got Ava Bentley’s double and a Paige White infield single to send the go-ahead run to the plate with no outs.
Bentley would score her team’s fourth run on a fielder’s choice, while White came home from third on a play that saw Carlee Parker thrown out trying to steal second.
Bentley, who had pitched seven innings earlier Friday in a loss to Cabell Midland, escaped a two on, one-out jam in the seventh to send the game to extras. However, after the Red Dragons went in order in the eighth, Bentley was forced out of the pitching circle for Short as a result of reaching the 14-inning limit for the day.
“Survive and advance is what it’s about at this stage and that’s exactly what we did,” coach Rummel said.
Brooke Allen threw five innings of three-hit ball and allowed one run for JHS, while Rebecca Munslow recorded the win in relief.
Rummel was responsible for three of her team’s nine hits.
Bentley pitched seven innings and struck out eight while issuing five walks.
“It’s been a really long day,” coach Rummel said, “but proud of the girls for finding a way to win.”