MIDDLETOWN — Without a spectacular season saving catch in the bottom of the seventh inning, the game-winning homer in the eighth wasn’t possible.
And without a clutch, game-tying two-out hit …
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MIDDLETOWN — Without a spectacular season saving catch in the bottom of the seventh inning, the game-winning homer in the eighth wasn’t possible.
And without a clutch, game-tying two-out hit in the top of the seventh before that, those heroics never would have happened.
The visiting Milford softball faced near elimination several times Friday afternoon, and survived with a 6-5 victory over Appoquinimink in the DIAA State Softball Tournament quarterfinals.
Milford advanced to meet Indian River winner in today’s semifinals.
Freshman Macey Myers crushed her second home run of the game in the eighth for the deciding score, which was exciting enough, but it didn’t quite match the drama twice before that.
Trailing by a run and down to one out left in the seventh, Buccaneers’ sophomore Morgan Petty bounced an RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 5-5.
Host Appo (16-4) loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Milford junior right-fielder Kalaysia Reynolds stretched out and snagged a blooper just inches from the grass to literally save the season.
It was the story of the season for the Buccaneers, who recovered from a 4-4 start this spring to win 12 straight games including the tournament.
The Bucs trailed 2-0 heading into the fifth inning Friday, but tied it with Myers’ first longball and senior Rajene Bowe’s speedy, aggressive baserunning, Bowe began with a bloop hit over the shortstop, stole second and then never slowed down rounding third when scoring on Darby Brennan’s sacrifice bunt for a 2-2 tie.
The deadlock was short-lived, however, after Appo’s Haley Jones slugged a homer over the right-centerfield fence for a 3-2 advantage after five innings.
Down once again, Milford’s sophomore catcher Courtney Kohel responded with a two-run home run, preceded by Petty’s double, in the top of the sixth.
The Bucs lead evaporated in the bottom half when Appo produced two runs on walks by Rachel Durham and Alicia Bruce, an infield error and double by Mallory Weir.
Blue Hen Flight A champion Appo broke up a scoreless game in the second with two runs, keyed by singles from Morgan Widdoes, Tayler Vitola and Andrea Johnson, along with a two-base outfield error.