JF softball rallies past Spotswood in 10th

Both Jefferson Forest’s Ashley Parsons and Spotswood’s Molly Smith put on pitching performances that players, coaches and spectators aren’t likely to forget soon in Tuesday’s Region III quarterfinal game in Forest.

Parsons and Smith matched with zero after zero on the scoreboard until the sixth inning when the Blazers pushed across the game’s first run on Leigh Lam’s sacrifice fly to left. But the Cavaliers answered back in the bottom of the sixth with a run of their own on Candace Guthrie’s liner to center that knotted the game at 1-1.

The two pitchers then matched zero’s again until Paige Hammock’s two-out, walk-off, RBI-double in the bottom of the 10th that gave JF a 2-1 win and advances the Cavaliers (15-5) to Thursday’s semifinals at Lord Botetourt’s sports complex where they will face the winner of the Brookville/Northside game at 6 p.m.

“It was a great ball game,” Jefferson Forest coach Gary Harris said. “There was great pitching and defense played on both sides. We kept working the count. (Smith) walked a whole lot more batters and we moved runners around and got big hits when we needed them.”

Spotswood finishes its season with a 14-8 record.

“We had good year,” Spotswood coach Amy Raines said. “We had a good team. We just couldn’t get that big hit tonight. Parsons threw a good game and just couldn’t adjust to her style.

“It was very disappointing, but a great game all around. Smith was throwing well today and we did all we could. They just got the hit when needed it.”

Both pitchers went the distance. Parsons (12-3) allowed one unearned run, five hits, didn’t walk anyone and had no strikeouts. But she recorded 21 ground-ball outs. Smith allowed two earned runs, three hits, walked 10, and struck out four.

“My defense was awesome,” Parsons said. “Everyone played great. I like to keep the defense in the game, they always seem to play better (that way). I’m just so excited. We are just excited. I’m looking forward to kicking butt on Thursday. We are just on such a high right now.”

Holly Dean led off the sixth inning for the Blazers with a base hit to left field and advanced to second when JF’s left fielder let the ball skip past her. After Jordan Mathias flied out to left, Brooke Hensley chopped a ball back to Parsons. Parsons tried to get Dean as she retreated to second but the throw went into center field. Dean and Hensley pulled off a double steal setting up Lam’s sacrifice fly and Hensley was tagged out at second base after drawing the cutoff of the Cavaliers’ throw home. 

Jefferson Forest tied the game sixth-inning when Hammock drew a one-out walk, and moved to second when Amber Smith followed by drawing a walk of her own. Then Guthrie singled scoring Hammock from second but Smith was thrown out trying to advance to third. Guthrie was able to take second. Finally, Cara Hannell singled to center field, but Guthrie was cut down at the plate by Bri O’Neal’s throw from centerfield.

JF’s two hits in the sixth inning were the first two hits the Cavaliers had in the game.

“They got the big hits that we couldn’t when we needed it ,” Raines said.

In the tenth inning Brittany Roark drew a two-out walk. Roark stole second and Hammock drove her in with double down the left field line.

“I tend to get inside my head a lot and on that last pitch I just said ‘forget about it and swing,’” Hammock said. “I’m really proud of Parsons. She did a fantastic job.”