Wood softball rallies to victory

March 26, 2011
By Mark Sawyer
Special to The Winchester Star


WINCHESTER- Coming off last season's 3-18 campaign, the James Wood High School softball team is trying to build momentum in what the Colonels hope to be a prosperous new year.

Games like Friday's 6-5 come-from-behind victory over Hedgesville (W.Va.) are just what they're looking for.

Trailing 5-2 after five innings, Wood (2-1) rallied for two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to upend previous unbeaten Hedgesville.

"The last two years, down 5-2 like that, that game would've been over," James Wood coach Ted McDaniel said. "Everyone's been working so hard. They just kept battling. We didn't hit them hard, we just hit them in the holes.

"Everyone on the team contributes. I couldn't be prouder. This is a wonderful group of girls to work with." After a season-opening loss to Loudoun Valley, the Colonels have won two straight - not counting their game Wednesday at Jefferson (W.Va.) that was suspended with the score tied 4-4 - and they've vastly improved at the plate from a year ago.

The Colonels held a 2-1 lead through four innings, but a pair of errors and a bad decision on a sacrifice bunt helped Hedgesville score four times in the fifth. The Eagles (2-1) tied it on an error and took the lead on a two-run single by Paige Reed.

Amanda Sanford's RBI single later in the inning made it 5-2.

With just six outs to go and still trailing by three runs, the Colonels went to work in the bottom of the sixth. Erin McCarthy led off with a single, and Rachael Largent reached on an error.

Sophomore Charlotte Viands then brought the home crowd to their feet by drilling a two-run double to the fence in right-center, making it 5-4.

"That was a very good feeling - the best hit I've had all year," Viands said. "We just needed to keep our heads up and keep playing. We just needed to get some runs."

Freshman pitcher Kierstyn Peacoe helped herself by starting the winning rally in the seventh with a base hit to left. Morgan Sykes followed with a single, putting the potential winning run on base.

Morgan Baker then attempted to sacrifice both runners into scoring position, but the Eagles threw the ball away, allowing the tying run to score and putting the winning run on third.

Hedgesville chose to walk McCarthy to load the bases. One out later, Viands stepped to the plate with a golden opportunity to win it.

Though she didn't hit the ball as well as her first three at bats (all hits), Viands hit a grounder toward short that had so much backspin that it was mishandled, allowing Baker to score the winning run.

"I was just concentrating on the ball, trying to get my hips through," Viands said. "I was just trying to get the runners over and trying to win the game for our team."

Wood took advantage of a pair of errors in the first inning to score an unearned run. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth, when the Eagles tied it on a solo home run from Reed.

The Colonels briefly regained the lead on a clutch two-out single by Anna Stevens that scored Largent for a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth.

James Wood finished with 10 hits, led by Viandes, who went 3 for 4.

Peacoe and Sykes had two hits apiece, and Largent scored a pair of runs.

"They just don't give up," McDaniel said. "All through the lineup, we're hitting. Everything a coach could ask from a team, they're doing. They're everything I ever wanted them to be."