Northside Rallies To Overtake Rockbridge County 11-10 In Blue Ridge Softball

Northside's Brie Pinero is greeted at the plate after her sixth-inning homer tied the game at 10.

by Bill Turner

Softball fans got their money’s worth, and more, as Northside scored a run in the bottom of the eighth to outlast Rockbridge County 11-10 Thursday afternoon at Viking Field.

There was nothing on the line as the Lady Vikings, undefeated in Blue Ridge play, had secured the regular-season title in a prior win over William Byrd. Ditto for Rockbridge (2-7 Blue Ridge), whose seed in the district tournament had already been determined. So much for standings.

Late arrivals must have sensed an easy Northside blowout after the Lady Vikings scored nine runs in the bottom of the second. Rockbridge scratched out a run in the third, then stunned the crowd with nine more in the fifth to take a 10-9 lead. The big blow from Rockbridge came on a 3-run homer from Kelly Huffman that left the yard with room to spare.

Northside showed why it’s 18-1 overall when Brie Pinero connected on a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to tie things up at 10. The Vikings loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh before Pinero was called out on strikes.

The game went to extra innings with the International Tie-Breaker put into effect.

Rockbridge, starting the extra frame with a runner a second, moved the player 60-feet from the plate on a sacrifice bunt. When the next batter sent a shot to the left side, Northside shortstop Katelyn Bowden threw home where catcher Kathleen Carr got the tag for the out.

In the bottom of the eighth, Taylor Grubb sacrificed the opening runner from second to third. Caitlyn Porterfield followed with a perfect push-bunt that scored the winning run without a throw.

“A pretty exciting game,” Northside Head Coach Lynn Richmond noted afterward. “We got some decent defense at the end that pulled it out. It’s the end of the regular season, and these are games of pride.”

“I can’t say enough about Brie Pinero,” Richmond added of the senior captains’ key homer in the sixth. “She comes to play. Plus, it helps to get the experience with the ITB in effect.”

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