SOFTBALL: Shippensburg suffers heartbreaker in tournament final loss to Big Spring

NEWVILLE >> Heading into the bottom of the seventh inning on Saturday, Shippensburg's softball team was in the driver's seat.

The Lady Hounds had led Big Spring since the third inning, and had just scored a run in the top of the seventh to take a three-run lead. But the tide turned quickly. The Bulldogs quickly loaded the bases, and a costly error by Ship led to four unearned runs and an 8-7 win for the host team in the championship game of the Big Spring Tournament.

Ship beat Muhlenberg 12-3 to open the tournament and downed South Western 11-1 in the semifinals.

"In the nine games I've played Shippensburg since I started coaching, this is my first win," Big Spring coach Mike Gutshall said. "It was a great feeling and a great effort by the girls."

Shippensburg coach Mike Peters said, "I couldn't ask for more from this team. I told them that we played 21 innings today, and 20 of them were outstanding."

Entering the seventh inning, Shippensburg (9-5) led 6-4 and tacked on an insurance run to go up by three. Taylor Davidson led off with a single, and Madison Miller hit into a fielder's choice. Pinch runner Ashley Macedo then stole second base, and shortstop Sami Barmont, who was filling in for an injured Nicole Baker, roped a double into right-centerfield to score Macedo. Barmont finished the game 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and one driven in.

"I think I did well," said Barmont, a freshman. "I tried my best to help the team, and I'm just glad I got to come up here, compete and have fun with these girls."

Peters said, "I called her on Thursday and asked if she would like to play three games for us on Saturday. She came up as a JV shortstop and was a vacuum cleaner today. She made nice plays and had a great attitude."

Trailing by three entering the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs (9-5) quickly started a rally. Kelsi Minich led the inning off with a single, and after a strikeout, Kennsey Epley walked and Mikala Gutshall hit a bloop single to load the bases with one out. Starting pitcher Courtney Coy then induced a bouncer back to the mound and fired home to keep the bases full with two outs. Then, Mackenzie Brymesseer hit a grounder to third, but Brooke Barrett couldn't handle it and a run scored, making it 7-5.

The next batter, Kate Jackson, promptly laced the first pitch of her at bat into left-centerfield to tie the game at seven. Karley Kann stepped into the box next with runners on second and third, and she sent a line drive through the right side to give the Bulldogs the walk-off win. All four of Big Spring's runs in the seventh inning were unearned.

Said Kann, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, "Our team can hit up and down the lineup, and I knew that if I got up, I just had to do my job. I had a pretty good read on (Coy's) pitches, and my mindset at the plate was just do my job and get a hit."

"I had a lot of confidence going into the seventh," said Coy, who pitched every inning of the tournament for the Lady Hounds. "They were able to load the bases, but I thought the defense would make things happen."

Big Spring jumped out to a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Jackson, but Ship scored three runs in both the third and fourth innings to take a commanding lead.

In the third, Barrett and Lexi Wolfe were both hit by a pitch to start the inning, and when Kayla Carbaugh laid down a sacrifice bunt, the throw to first sailed high and both Barrett and Wolfe scored. Morgan Fetter then hit a single up the middle to cash in Carbaugh.

In the fourth, Barmont led off the inning with a double, and Barrett followed with a double make it 4-1. Wolfe hit a single and stole second to put runners on second and third, and Carbaugh scored them both with a single into right-centerfield, giving Ship a 6-1 cushion.

Big Spring clawed its way back with two runs in the fourth and one in the sixth. In the fourth, Roberts led the inning off with a double, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a Brymesser sacrifice fly. Pinch runner Bailey Jones later scored on a Minich double. Brymesser scored Big Spring's fourth run on an RBI fielder's choice by Kann in the sixth.

NOTES >> Fetter finished 2-for-3 for Ship, and Barrett and Wolfe both scored two runs ... Kann, Jackson, Brymesser and Minich all had two hits for the Bulldogs, who outhit Shippensburg 12-10 ... Baker, who suffered an eye injury in a collision on Thursday, will go to the doctor on Monday.

Big Spring 8, Shippensburg 7

ShippensburgBig SpringabrhbabrhbWolfe 2b3210Wagner ss4020Carbagh cf3112Minich cf4021Fetter c3021Baker 1b3000Coy p3010Epley c3000Davidsn dp4010Orillaza cr0100Miller 1b4100Gutshall rf4110Macedo pr0100Roberts 2b4210Barmont ss4131Brmssr 3b3321Lawson rf3000Jackson lf4023Kline ph1000Kann dp4022Barrett 3b2211Jones pr0100Horst lf0000DeWalt p0000Totals307105Totals338127

Shippensburg0033001—7Big Spring0102014—8

E: Ship 3, BS 1; LOB: Ship 7, BS 7; 2B: Barmont 2, Coy, Barrett, Minich, Roberts, Brymesser, Jackson; SAC: Carbaugh; SB: Barmont, Macedo.

Shippensburg pitching

Big Spring pitching

DeWalt3.156512Brymssr (W) 3.251111

WP: Coy, DeWalt, Brymesser; PB: Fetter.

T: 1:48.