Littlestown's big rally blows game open vs. Hanover
With the performance Amanda Dyson had Friday, Hanover might be glad they didn't face her when she was 100 percent.
The result for Littlestown was still as good as it could have been, a 13-3 five-inning mercy rule win, fueled by Dyson's home run and go-ahead RBI.
"She's got some kind of cold," Littlestown head coach Henry Wardrop said. "We weren't even sure we were going to have her, or how much she'd be able to do, so today, she hung in and did a nice job."
Dyson started the scoring off with two outs in the first inning, when she jumped on Sara Durika's first pitch, and launched it over the left field fence.
"(It felt) pretty good. I'm a freshman, so it's my first home run," Dyson said, adding that she is typically a pretty good first-pitch hitter.
Littlestown starting pitcher Kaitlin Yealy did her best to make the 1-0 lead stand up. She struck out five of the first six batters she faced, and retired the first seven batters in order.
Hanover would rally in the four inning, however. Emily Albright led off the stanza by smacking a double to the wall. After a strikeout, Yealy then walked the bases loaded.
She nearly worked out of it, but a wayward pickoff throw by the catcher allowed the tying run to score, and back-to-back wild pitches gave Hanover the lead.
Littlestown tied it up in the bottom of the fourth on Michaela Yealy's pinch-hit sac fly, and almost took the lead with Vickie Skillman at the plate.
Skillman fell behind 1-2, and then fouled off five-straight pitches.
Her last foul ball soared down the left field line and past the fence, just landing in foul territory.
Durika eventually struck out Skillman with a change-up in the dirt to end the inning, but Littlestown would benefit from the at-bat later in the contest.
Hanover moved back in front when Lauren Smith flipped an opposite field RBI single to right with two outs in the fifth.
However, Littlestown came to bat in the bottom half, and used the momentum from Skillman's plate appearance to put together an iron-clad rally.
"Two things happen when a girl is in there fouling off that many pitches," said Wardrop. "Your teammates get more looks at the pitcher's pitches, and the pitcher tends to wear down."
Lindsay Davis led off the fifth with a pinch-hit single.
Shelby Dews and Jill Gauthier blooped singles to the outfield, tying the score and setting the stage for Dyson.
She smoked a liner that was misplayed in right field for an RBI sac fly and error, as two runs scored to make it 5-3.
Two singles and two walks later, Skillman blew the game open with a two-run double, making it 9-3.
LITTLESTOWN 13, HANOVER 3 (F/5)
Hanover00021—333Littlestown1001(11)—13111
Han, Sara Durika, Maddie Hammond (5) and Emily Albright. Lt, Kaitlin Yealy and Amanda Dyson.
SO-BB — Han, Durika 3-2, Hammond 0-3. Lt, Yealy 9-4; W — Yealy; L — Durika; 2B — Han, Albright. Lt, Vickie Skillman; HR — Lt, Dyson.