WINCHESTER — Last season Emma Martin and the Millbrook High School softball team ended James Wood’s season and its hopes for a return trip to the Class 4 state tournament.
With two of the area’s top pitchers facing off — Martin and Wood’s Sophia Gerald — runs were sure to be at a premium in the Frederick County rivals’ first meeting since, and the two aces didn’t disappoint. The duo combined to strike out 16 hitters in just under 13 innings of work.
Wood was able to get a couple of early runs off of Martin and Gerald made them hold up, leading the Colonels to a 3-1 victory over the Pioneers on Friday night at Millbrook.
For the Colonels (5-1), it was their fifth straight win after a season-opening loss to Sherando. Gerald pitched a two-hit complete game and struck out 10 batters, including the 200th of the junior’s career. The run she allowed was unearned. She walked two batters and only allowed five base runners to reach, one each in five different innings.
“I’m not going to lie. We talked about [last year’s season-ending loss],” James Wood coach Patrick Gibson said. “We talked about it all week preparing. They rode the bus really well. They were focused. We came in here with a mission to get it done.
“We didn’t quite execute the way we wanted to offensively but we did just enough to get the win against a really good pitcher. Facing Emma Martin is always tough. She’s always gritty. She mixes it up. She’s a gamer and she’s going to be up for big games, and she was tonight. Sophia was just a little bit better.”
Both pitchers struck out the side in the first inning, but the rest of the inning was much different.
James Wood jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first thanks to some clutch baserunning and timely hitting.
Shortstop Brynnen Williams (3 for 3) walked to lead off the game. Center fielder Aubrey Nail then tried to sacrifice Williams over with a beautiful bunt. Nail was able to beat it out for an infield hit when the Pioneers didn’t cover first base.
Following a strikeout, cleanup hitter Kati Brannon stepped to the plate and ripped a line drive just over the head of Pioneers shortstop Riley Mentzer. Mentzer was able to get a glove on the ball but couldn’t come up with the great catch.
After freezing on the line drive, Williams was still able to round third and score the game’s first run. Martin struck out the next two hitters to end the threat.
Millbrook (3-3) had a similar start to its first. Leadoff hitter Rowan McCullough walked to start the inning. However, Gerald struck out the next three hitters to end the inning.
Gerald helped herself out with a single to lead off the second inning. Reece Madagan moved courtesy runner Maggie Maynard up with a sacrifice bunt.
Nine-hole hitter Sophia Rohrbach followed with a base hit to left, scoring Maynard from second for a 2-0 lead.
The Colonels had a chance to add on in the inning when Williams singled and Taylor Fishel reached on an infield single to load the bases with two outs. Martin was able to retire the next hitter on a ground ball to end the inning.
With a two-run lead, Gerald went to work. After the walk to McCullough, she retired the next seven hitters. She didn’t allow another base runner until there was one out in the third when she walked Mentzer. Gerald retired the next two hitters, stranding Mentzer at first.
Gerald didn’t allow her first hit of the game until there were two outs in the fourth. Martin shot a ground ball up the middle and into center.
Jordyn Ganse followed with a line drive that was headed just over the head of Colonels shortstop Williams. She took two steps back and made a leaping catch to rob Ganse of a hit and the Pioneers of a possible rally.
Wood added an important insurance run for Gerald in the top of the sixth.
Rohrbach walked with one up in the inning. Williams followed with a line drive off of Martin’s foot for a base hit. Martin was able to stay in the game and retired the next hitter she faced before the Pioneers made a pitching change.
Amaya Shook took over in the circle and the first hitter she faced, Fishel, hit a soft line drive over second into center field to score courtesy runner Gabby Madagan from second and give the Colonels a 3-0 advantage.
Shook struck out the next four hitters she faced to give the Pioneers a chance in the bottom of the seventh.
Martin led off the inning by reaching on a two-base error. She moved to third when Ganse lined hard to right field. Kimber Rudolph’s RBI groundout made it 3-1 before Gerald struck out the next hitter to end the game.
“[Gerald] did great pitching. We’ve just got to learn how to adjust,” Millbrook coach Carolyn Hartman said. “We know what she throws, we just have to learn how to adjust to it. At this point it’s mental.”
Led by Williams, James Wood outhit the Pioneers 10-2. Brannon and Fishel each had two hits and an RBI. The Colonels left 10 runners on base, six in scoring position.
“We talked about getting off to a good start, getting early runs and tacking on runs,” Gibson said. “We didn’t quite get the tack-on runs. We stranded a ton of base runners. We’ve got to bunt better, but the early lead let Sophia settle in and pitch a gem.”
Martin went 5.2 innings, allowing three earned runs, eight hits and three walks. She struck out six batters. Martin had a hit and scored a run for the Pioneers while Rudolph had the other hit and drove in the only run.
“We’re still trying to find the right pieces to the puzzle,” Hartman said. “We’re staying up, we’re staying positive and we’re looking forward to seeing them again. We love playing each other.”
James Wood returns home Monday to face Stone Bridge. Millbrook travels to Musselman (West Virginia) on Tuesday.