CHESTER- Green Mountain jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first but that lead slowly faded away over the next six innings. With a pressure-packed final frame deciding the outcome Tuesday, BFA-Fairfax advances to the championship game with a 4-3 win over a gritty Green Mountain team.
Lexi White started things off for the home team as she legged out an infield hit and then stole second base. Tierney O’Brien and Noelle Gignoux both clubbed doubles and Green Mountain had the lead, 2-0, after the first inning. Chiefs’ Erika Knockenhauer settled down nicely in the second inning and retired the side in order, but a great grab by Annie Lamson in centerfield helped the cause for Green Mountain.
Anna Church and White were left on base in the third as the Chieftains stranded 5 runners in the first three innings. BFA head coach, Geri Witmanec-Krupa, admitted after the game that she was nervous facing Green Mountain. “We haven’t been behind in quite a while and when they jumped out on us early, yeah, I was nervous, but we settled down and just played our game today. We’re happy to leave here with a win against a really good team today”.
Knockenhauer went the distance for the Chiefs, allowing only 4 hits, but in the third, a flood of illegal pitches started to appear. Knockenhauer’s foot was rising off the pitching rubber before a clean ball release was the reason from the umpires and this would put runners on first and second base with no outs.
Green Mountain escaped the third without allowing a run, as catcher Maddie Wilson made a fantastic play, diving to tag out BFA’s Avery Tetrault, preventing the tying run for the final out. In the top of the fourth, those illegal-pitch calls began to take their toll as a Bridget Hamell was awarded home from third base to cut the lead to 2-1. BFA would knot the game at 2 apiece in the fifth as Tetrault would score off an Alex Blair dribbler to the mound, as the only play was to first base.
BFA freshman hurler Taylor Mitchell grew stronger as the game went along and breezed through the fifth on a 6-pitch 1-2-3 inning. “I tried not to put too much pressure on myself, but when we scored it definitely helped,” said Mitchell after the game. Both teams put runners on base in the sixth as BFA stranded a runner at third, while White reached second base before the final out.
Knockenhauer retired the first batter on strikes in the top of the seventh, but after Jaycee Douglas reached, she came around to score after a bad hop on a throw to third base, giving BFA a 3-2 lead. Hamel smacked a clean single allowing an important insurance run to score for BFA as the Chiefs headed to the plate trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
Green Mountain head coach Terry Farrell said after the game that, “this team never has any quit,” and on the second pitch of her at-bat, Wilson blasted a homer over the left field fence to cut the lead in half with no outs, as she was mobbed by her teammates at home. With two outs, Knockenhauer drew a walk, but Mitchell was able to close out the Chiefs with stellar pitching.
White led the attack for Green Mountain with 4 hits, while O’Brien and Wilson each had two hits apiece and Church also added a hit. Knockenhauer went the distance, allowing 4 hits while striking out 3 batters. On the BFA side, Mitchell gave up 9 hits while fanning 15 batters. BFA did not commit an error.
“It’s always tough to lose but when we look back at this season and what we accomplished and losing to a very good BFA team, it hurts but I think GM softball will be back strong next year with a good core returning,” said coach Farrell after the game. Green Mountain softball finishes their 2018 season with a 15-2 record.
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