WC beats Brandon with big 6th inning|[03/26/08]

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Cassandra Brown pounded Warren Central with inside pitches all night Tuesday and kept the Lady Vikes on their heels. Finally, she went to the well once too often.

Andi Hearn turned on an inside fastball and slammed it deep to left field for a leadoff triple in the bottom of the sixth inning, then scored on a throwing error to break a scoreless tie and propel WC to a 4-1 win over Brandon.

Hearn also held Brandon to one run and three hits in a complete game victory. She walked one and struck out four. Shawn Johnson had two hits and scored a run, while Marlee Warner had an RBI triple for Brandon (10-9).

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“That’s a nice win like that, to battle and come through in the clutch,” WC coach Dana McGivney said. “That’s a nice win against a good team. We need wins like that.”

Neither team did much of anything for the first five innings. Warren Central loaded the bases in the first on three walks but failed to score, while Brandon managed only a second-inning single by Alicia Berry. The teams combined for just two hits and seven baserunners in the first five innings.

Finally, Brown tried to sneak one too many inside pitches past Hearn. Hearn hit it over the head of Brandon left fielder M.C. Joyner and rolled into third with a stand-up triple. Joyner’s throw skipped past the cutoff man, however, and Hearn came home with the first run of the game.

“I was kind of down in my hitting at first, and she threw that same inside pitch she’d been throwing all night,” Hearn said. “She came in one too many times.”

After Hearn’s hit, Brandon had a mini-meltdown.

Mandy Fuller walked and Shawn Johnson followed with a single up the middle. A misplay by the center fielder allowed Fuller to score and Johnson to go to second. After another single by Mandy Bordelon, Karlee Herman lifted a pop fly just out of the reach of shortstop Amber Adcock. Johnson scored easily, and a wild throw to second allowed the other runner to score to make it 4-0.

Brandon tried to mount a comeback in the top of the seventh, but the Lady Bulldogs fell on their face — literally.

After Brooke Barrett delivered a one-out single, Warner smashed a drive deep to left. Barrett scored easily, and Warner was heading home for an inside-the-park homer that would have cut the deficit in half. As she rounded third, however, Warner tripped and fell, and was caught in a rundown for the second out of the inning. After a WC error gave Brandon one more shot, Hearn got Berry to hit into a fielder’s choice for the final out of the game.

St. Aloysius 3, Sebastopol 1

Sarah Franco turned in another gem, striking out 11 batters while walking two in a two-hitter for St. Aloysius in its win over Sebastopol.

Mallory McGuffie had a triple, single and two RBIs for St. Al (8-4, 5-0 Division 7-1A), and Haley Heggins had two hits and scored a run.