Clark's eighth-inning blast lifts Sherando over James Wood

STEPHENS CITY — As it has so often in the past several seasons, Thursday’s matchup between the Sherando and James Wood softball teams came down to the final swing.

This time, it was Ashton Clark’s turn to be the hero. Clark belted a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Warriors walked off with a 3-1 come-from-behind Class 4 Northwestern District victory.

Clark’s blast, her first of the season, ended a fantastic pitcher’s duel between Sherando’s Lauren Smith and the Colonels’ Ivy Rosenberry. Smith tossed a three-hitter with a career-high 13 strikeouts, while Rosenberry allowed four hits and struck out 10. It was also a well-played contest, with several outstanding fielding plays and just one error between the two teams.

“This is always our biggest game,” said Clark, the Warriors’ No. 9 hitter. “It’s our rival and we always have fun playing them. A win like that is extremely exciting. It means a lot going into the rest of the season.”

“You’ve got to hand it to them,” said James Wood coach Todd Baker, whose team dropped to 7-2 overall, 2-1 in the district. “They are great athletes over there and well-coached and we are, too. It’s the way the James Wood-Sherando games go. You just never know.”

It appeared Clark would not have a chance at histrionics as Rosenberry mowed through the Warriors through the first six innings and had provided the game’s lone run with a home run to right field in the first inning.

But Sherando (7-3, 5-0) got even thanks to Sierra Strosnider’s quick feet in the seventh. Strosnider led off the inning with a line single to left, just the Warriors’ second hit of the game.

With teammate Brooke Moses at the plate, she swiped second and then noticed that Laken Whipkey was tight expecting a bunt. Strosnider took off again and beat Whipkey and Colonels shortstop Haley Kaiser to third for another steal.

“To Sierra’s credit, she recognized that play and made the steal on her own,” Sherando coach Clarence Smith said. “We had a little talk about it and I thought that was a tremendous play. She just saw it and she’s a gamer. It speaks to her ability to impress her will upon the game.”

Moses then hit a bullet toward right, but James Wood second baseman Olivia Miller made a diving catch for the first out.

Smith, the Warriors’ cleanup hitter followed, but only needed to nudge the ball a few feet to tie the score. Smith executed a perfect squeeze bunt toward first base and Strosnider easily scored to tie the game.

“I had a feeling I was probably going to get the sign for that,” Smith said. “I just knew I needed to get it down. We practice it a lot.”

“At 1-0, I really didn’t feel like that was going to hold up,” Baker admitted. “It hardly ever does with these two teams. There’s so much heart on both sides.”

Smith wriggled out of a jam in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Caitlyn Shutts led off the inning with a single. And one out later, Kaiser’s sacrifice bunt was bobbled for an error.

Smith got an out on a fine catch by left fielder Sarah Rhinehardt. Smith then elected to walk Rosenberry intentionally to load the bases.

Smith then got Rebecca Boone on a pop-up behind third that Strosnider made a tough play on for the third out.

“You don’t do that with a pitcher you’re not confident in,” Clarence Smith said of loading the bases by walking Rosenberry. “Lauren bailed me out. We’ve done that a couple of times where we maybe walk batters in some unconventional times in the games. These girls are good enough that they keep bailing me out, so I’m going to keep gambling.”

The Warriors got a break to start their half of the eighth. Veronika Lord hit a hard grounder that took a bad hop and a hard carom off of Miller, who was in position to make the play. A two-strike bunt by Rhinehardt moved Lord to second.

Rosenberry got pinch-hitter Meghan Harris on a strikeout, but that brought up Clark, who had the only Sherando hit (a third-inning single up the middle) prior to the seventh.

On an 0-1 offering, Clark torched a line drive that touched down well-beyond the newly installed 200-foot fence in center field.

“I knew it was a tough situation and there was two outs and obviously a very good pitcher,” Clark said of her approach to her game-winning at-bat. “ I had gotten a hit off her my first at-bat, so I was more confident, but very nervous. I just saw it and hit it. … It felt really good.”

Lauren Smith was one of the Warriors who erupted as the ball soared over the fence. “Oh, gosh, I saw it and I was like, ‘That’s gone,’” she said. “I just lost it. I just started screaming. It was great.”

Clarence Smith said it is nice to have power at the bottom of the order.

“She is not the prototypical No. 9 hitter,” he said. “She hits home runs, as long as anyone in our practices.”

Lauren Smith silenced a potent lineup that had scored at least five runs in every game this season.

“These games are always really interesting,” the junior right-hander said. “Usually they are a pitcher’s battle. They’re not usually something where there’s going to be a lot of hits. It’s obviously fun and intense. … I felt good. All of my pitches were working.”

“She had four pitches working today,” Clarence Smith said. “At this level, if you have a kid that can effectively throw four pitches, you’re going be in a pretty good position to win a game.”

“She spots the ball real well,” Baker said of Smith. “I’ve always called her crafty.”

Round 2 between the two teams, who played three one-run games last season, is scheduled for May 6 at James Wood. Once again it could come down to the final swing.

“I don’t expect anything different,” Baker said.

Prior to the game, Sherando dedicated its revamped facility, which was fully operational for the first time on Thursday. The facility features a new press box, temporary outfield fence (which was in use for the first time), scoreboard, dugouts, bullpen areas, and batting cage. The only structure that did not change was the backstop.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Clarence Smith said of the renovations. “I just appreciate everyone who worked behind the scenes to get this done. This program has had some very good players through the years that did not have the opportunity to hit on a 200-foot fence. … I hope that we made some fans of fast-pitch that had not seen it before.”

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