Seahawks prevail with 5-run seventh inning
Abdinoor scores South River’s winning run on throwing error
South River’s softball team got off to a good start in Friday’s game with No. 13 Arundel.
The ending was even better for the No. 7 Seahawks.
After scoring three runs in the first inning before falling behind by four heading to the seventh, South River scored five runs in the final inning and held on for a 9-8 victory. Kennedy Baldwin singled in the tying run in the top of the seventh and Marissa Abdinoor scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error for the Seahawks, who bounced back from their first loss of the season Wednesday to Severna Park.
Arundel had the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh, but Jess Adams got pinch hitter Grace Palmieri to pop out to second to end the game.
“To come back, especially in the last inning, was huge,” South River coach Tim Williams said. “As a coach, you’re just hoping to come out and play a tight game to bounce back. I keep telling the girls they can compete with any of the top five or six teams, because they are one of them.”
The Seahawks’ big seventh inning made a winner of Adams, who shut out the Wildcats on four hits over the final four innings.
“It was a stressful situation, but I knew we could do it,” said Adams, who struck out seven, including three over the final two innings. “This was a a great win. We pulled together as a team.”
Trailing 8-4 heading to the top of the seventh, the first five hitters reached base for the Seahawks. Tori Haxton singled in a pair of runs to cut the deficit to 8-6, then Kenzie McLellan’s singled scored another run to makeit 8-7. After a sacrifice bunt from Adams, Baldwin’s single to right tied the game.
“This is a really nice win. This is the first year the seniors have actually beaten Arundel,” Baldwin said. “We just didn’t want to lose, so we just fought through it.”
McLellan singled in a pair of runs and later scored on a wild pitch to stake the Seahawks (5-1) to the early 3-0 lead. South River’s other run came in the fourth when Kayla Vaillancourt tripled home Andrea Thompson, who drew a two-out walk.
Arundel (2-4) cut into South River’s early lead with an unearned run in the bottom of the second. The Wildcats sent 12 hitters to the plate in their big third inning, which produced seven runs on six hits and a pair of walks. Samantha Cinotti drove in a pair of runs with a single to tie the game, then Maddy Miller singled to give the Wildcats the lead. Jenna Clark reached on a fielder’s choice to make it a 5-3 game, then singles from Mariah Melendez and Cheyenne Starr produced three more runs to make it 8-3.
Starr, who finished with three hits, went 2-for-2, scored a run and drove in a pair in the third inning alone.
Arundel managed four hits over the final four innings, but left three runners in scoring position following the big inning.
“I think we definitely let off the gas offensively,” Arundel coach Lisa Mills said. “This was one of those games where we just gave everything away.”
Vaillancourt had a pair of hits, drove in a run and scored twice and Haxton, McLellan and Thompson each scored a pair of runs for South River.