Freeport softball rallies to defeat rival Burrell
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Thursday, April 4, 2019 | 12:33 AM
Burrell’s Rikki Wyble can’t hang on to a ball hit by Freeport’s Emily Schmidt Wednesday, April 3, 2019 at Freeport Community Park.
Freeport starting pitcher Tori Radvan throws against Burrell Wednesday, April 3, 2019 at Freeport Community Park.
Freeport’s Allison DeJidas makes a running catch on a ball hit by Burrell’s Rikki WybleWednesday, April 3, 2019 at Freeport Community Park.
Burrell starting pitcher Kylie Karns throws against Freeport Wednesday, April 3, 2019 at Freeport Community Park.
Freeport coach Sam Ross was hoping Emily Schmidt would come through with a big hit, just as she did last year in a section game against Deer Lakes.
Schmidt obliged, hitting a two-run double to deep right center with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The big hit gave the Yellowjackets the lead for good as Freeport scored five times with two outs to defeat Burrell, 7-4, at windswept Freeport Community Park in the Section 1-3A opener for both teams.
“That last out can be hard to get, no matter which side you’re on,” Ross said. “That’s especially the case when you have rival teams playing. Another great game. ”
It looked like Burrell sophomore Kylie Karns might pitch out of a jam.
Ann Herbst opened the inning with a single, and Maddie Shanta followed with her third single of the game. Savanna Urik bunted the runners ahead, and Herbst was out at the plate trying to score on another bunt.
Schmidt then pounded her double to the fence.
After Ally DeJidas intentionally was walked, two runs scored on an error and an obstruction near third base. Autumn Powell then singled home Tori Radvan to complete the rally for Freeport (2-1).
“That’s the worst inning we’ve played this year,” Bucs coach Brian Eshbaugh said. “We have a young pitching staff, and we just didn’t have enough today. We didn’t execute some things we had in our playbook. It just didn’t happen.”
Burrell (1-1) had just tied the score in the top of the sixth when Elizabeth Clark walked with two outs and pinch hitter Mia Horwatt blasted a double to deep center, scoring Clark.
“Mia has done very well for us,” Eshbaugh said. “She’s a little under the weather right now, or she would have been in there the whole game. She’s a natural hitter for us.”
Both hurlers pitched out of jams.
The Bucs had runners on second and third with none out in the second, but Radvan, back after a quick recovery from an ACL injury, struck out the next three.
In the bottom of the second, the Yellowjackets had runners on second and third with a run in and one out. But Karns prevented any further scoring with a comebacker to the circle and a strikeout.
In the fourth, Burrell again had second and third with none out. This time, however, Lea Coffman scored on a wild pitch to tie the score 1-1.
Freeport took a 2-1 lead in the fifth when DeJidas doubled and scored on Radvan’s single, sliding under Coffman’s tag.
“I was proud of our girls out there today,” Ross said. “We have some flu, some concussions to get over. We’ve got a lot of freshmen playing, a lot of people playing in different places.”
Burrell wouldn’t go away quietly, scoring twice with two out in the seventh on run-scoring singles by Kayla Santucci and Coffman.
Radvan struck out seven before being relieved in the seventh by Powell.
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