It was a rematch that Roanoke area high school softball fans had been waiting for.
Northside, with phenom Lauren Boitnott sporting a perfect 0.00 ERA, taking on William Byrd and their standout, Jessica Mahoney, who entered the matchup with a not-so-shabby 0.08 ERA and 12-0 record.
Obviously, something had to give, although the previous meeting in April gave little clue after Byrd won 1-0 based on the international tie-breaker rule.
Northside struck first with two runs in the bottom of the fourth aided by a fielding error that scored the first Viking run, followed by a single that plated the second.
The drama heightened when Northside starter Boitnott, on a medically ordered pitch count due to a hip injury, gave way in the circle to reliever Kelsey Jarrett.
Byrd seemed poised to come back in the top of the fifth when they had runners on first and third with no outs. But, the next two Terrier batters struck out and, after a bluff off third base, Mahoney was tagged out after being caught in a rundown.
The Vikings tacked on two more runs in their half of the fifth to open the final 4-0 margin. Any hopes of a late Byrd rally were dashed in the sixth when, with runners on first and second, Northside right fielder, Kasey Craft, made a spectacular over-the-shoulder snare of a Terrier drive and threw back to first to double up the Byrd baserunner.
With the win, Northside put three teams in contention to vie for the Blue Ridge District title.
Northside’s 22-year head coach, Lynn Richmond, summed it up best, “It was a big matchup with two perfect pitchers,” she said afterward. “We have a young squad and tried to break it out inning by inning. Our defense made some really big plays today. There was outstanding play by both teams.”
By Bill Turner [email protected]
