WEST UNION, W.Va. — Bridgeport didn’t threaten much, if any, over the first five innings of Monday’s matchup.
Down the stretch, however, Doddridge County had to hang for dear life.
The Bulldogs scored a pair of pivotal insurance runs in the home half of the sixth inning to lead by three, and Doddridge pitcher Kamryn Satterfield induced a ground ball to shortstop off the bat of Amayah Clark with a pair in scoring position for final out of the game to preserve a 3-1 victory over the Tribe.
“I always say good teams find a way to win, and I feel like we’re in a good spot this time of the year where we’re starting to click a little more and handling the pressure situations when we’ve come up on those,” Doddridge coach Wesley Ezell said.
With Doddridge (15-11) in front 1-0 in the top of the sixth inning, the Indians (6-13) produced their first hit of the game and later had two runners on with one out when Ezell elected to relieve starting pitcher Tessa Mayle with Satterfield.
“It looked like she was getting a little tired in the sixth inning and the balls she threw that inning weren’t as close to the plate as she typically is,” Ezell said of Mayle. “That’s the reason we pulled her. We have three pitchers and all three pitchers have confidence in each other. When you pull one to give another one an opportunity, they understand their roles and there’s no hard feelings between any of them. That’s what makes it great to coach.”
The second out of the inning moved both runners into scoring position before Mahaylee Messenger was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Satterfield then struck out BHS pitcher Addison Mike to keep the Bulldogs’ one-run advantage intact.
“We played hard and took care of the ball,” BHS coach Greg Van Zant said. “For the most part, all year, we’ve pitched well and played good defense. Our struggle has been scoring runs. But these same hitters will be much improved a year from now. I’m very proud with the effort. As long as we give effort, have enthusiasm and we try, I’m happy. These girls are doing the best they can.
Doddridge produced three of its seven hits in the sixth, including a triple to right field from Caitlyn Pratt to plate Isabella Holtz, who reached as the leadoff hitter after being hit by a pitch.
Mayle singled to left to score Pratt with the third Bulldogs’ run, though Doddridge failed to add to its advantage despite having two on with none out later in that frame.
Peyton Kelley singled with one out in the seventh and No. 9 hitter Sophia Rovello drew a walk on a full count pitch to turn the lineup over and bring Reese Van Zant to the plate.
Van Zant belted a ground rule double to left-center that brought her team’s first run in and allowed BHS to have a pair in scoring position with a two-run deficit.
But Satterfield got Clark to hit a bouncer to short for the final out as the Bulldogs prevailed in a matchup where offense was at a premium throughout.
“Our pitchers did a great job today of throwing strikes and staying around the plate, and other than the first inning, we did a great job of making the plays we needed to make,” Ezell said.
The only run through the first five innings came in the first. Doddridge leadoff hitter Brooke DeHaven drew a base-on-balls, stole second and crossed the plate on a throwing error that enabled Satterfield to reach first after she’d struck out.
Mayle was strong in the pitching circle to ensure the first run was enough to make the lead hold up throughout her outing, but it didn’t grow until she was no longer pitching as Mike was equally tough to crack for the home team.
Mayle had seven strikeouts and five walks, while allowing one hit over 5.1 innings. Satterfield struck out and walked a pair and allowed one run on two hits over 1.2 innings.
Mike struck out three and walked one over six frames.
“She’s throwing her change-up better now. Earlier in the season when she didn’t really have confidence in her change-up, hitters were hitting her harder,” Van Zant said. “Now she has more confidence in her change-up and it’s a really good pitch. It’s just a matter of getting the hitters off balance. Hitting is about timing and pitching is about offsetting timing, and she’s doing really well with that.”