Hawks’ softball rally falls one run short at Buckingham

BUCKINGHAM — Carrie Dudley kept her helmet on, grabbed her bat and rushed toward home plate. With several swings of the bat, she demonstrated how she made contact with the previous pitch that went foul.

Gretna coach Ketina Brooks pled Dudley’s case, showing as much mental anguish as displeasure.

However, the umpire would not overrule his decision that Dudley’s foul ball with two strikes was a bunt attempt and ruled her out, ending the game and the defending state champion’s season.

Gretna’s rally from three runs down fell one run short, as Libby Morris pitched Buckingham County to a 3-2 victory Monday in the first round of the Region B tournament at Buckingham County Middle School.

“I was supposed to have been a slap,” Brooks said. “The ruling was it was an outside pitch, she didn’t break her wrists and it was … fouled off and they called it a bunt attempt.”

Dudley, who was attempting to reach base for the fourth time in the game, slapped off several pitches in the same manner — with two strikes on her — and those were not ruled as bunt attempts.

“When you slap, you run and hit the ball pretty much, but you’re still swinging through,” Dudley said as she described what she did in that final at bat. “But on a slap bunt, it’s still considered a hit, so you shouldn’t be out on a third strike whether you foul it off or not.”

It is a “hard pill to swallow,” as Brooks put it, for Gretna (14-7) after the Hawks scored runs in the fourth and fifth innings to cut its deficit to one.

Morris, who was given a strike out on that controversial call, finished with 10 on the night in her seven innings of work. She scattered five hits and three walks while keeping the Gretna batters off-balance in the other five innings.

“She’s a sophomore who plays like a senior,” Buckingham County coach Missy Shores said of her pitcher. “Fourth inning sometimes is an inning where she has a little bit of a sidetrack, but she seems to battle through it and knows how to get through.”

The Knights (14-3) struck first in the top of the first after leadoff hitter Jessica Shumaker reached on a single and stole second and third bases. That allowed James River District Player of the Year Marci Christian to rip a single to right to score Shumaker.

“When we score in the first inning, we always continue strong,” Christian said. “It really helps out our team. Gretna’s a very well played defensive team, so getting on top of them really helps you out.”

Buckingham’s winning runs came in the third when Katie Adams blooped a single in between Gretna’s middle infield and center fielder that plated Kayla Taylor and Christian.

The Hawks responded with a run in the fourth off a Nina Compton double and then in the fifth off a Nichole Mills single that scored Dudley.

Mills, who scored the run off Compton’s hit, pitched well three days after Altavista scored 10 runs off her. Mills gave up six hits in the first three innings, but settled down after to allow one hit in the final three innings and retiring the last eight batters that she faced. Mills finished with six strikeouts.

“Offensively, we knew it was going to take one hit at a time. We just needed one more timely hit and we could have at least tied the ballgame up,” Brooks said. “Nichole did a very good job of bouncing back from Friday night. She did a good job of settling down here today and staying unnerved. She pitched a wonderful game.”