Robbinsville rallies in seventh to down Steinert
ROBBINSVILLE » It was the kind of game one would expect to see in a state final.
Which makes sense, since both teams were 2017 state finalists, one was a state and county champ, and both have a lot of talent back.
It was the champ that won Round One, as Robbinsville’s softball team used three consecutive two-out doubles in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-2 walk-off victory over Steinert in a huge earlyseason match-up between CVC Patriot Division powers.
“It’s amazing,” said Devon Witt, whose runscoring double plated Allie Taylor with the gamewinner. “There’s no words to explain it. Every practice we practice hard just to play this game (against Steinert). This outcome just means so much.”
The teams are back at it Wednesday at Steinert, which will have to bounce back from a tough one. Conversely, the Ravens (4-0) are riding the high of an exhilarating comeback after winning their first three games by a combined 45-2.
“I knew that wasn’t going to happen today,” Robbinsville coach Lisa Rich said. “I knew we’d be lucky to score two to three runs. Those high scoring games were great to get our confidence up as far as hitting but I knew that it was not going to be a highscoring game no matter what we did.”
What they didn’t do was capitalize on several early opportunities. The Ravens failed to score in the first after loading the bases with no outs and failed to score in the second after putting a runner on second with one out. Robbinsville broke through in the third when Shea Walsh tripled and eventually scored on Witt’s single.
Sara Mazalewski followed with an infield hit to load the bases with one out, but Kaylee Whittaker pulled another escape act and then settled down.
Steinert (2-1) took the lead in the fourth when Cora Bridgers reached on a one-out error and Whittaker and Taylor Hawkes drew two-out walks. Olivia Owens followed with a two-run single to put Steinert ahead.
It looked like that would be enough as Whittaker retired 10 in a row after allowing a one-out single in the fourth.
That streak ended with two outs in the seventh when Olivia Moser doubled in the gap. That brought up Allie Taylor, who fell behind 0-2 after already striking out twice. After taking a ball, Taylor crushed one in the left-centerfield gap that looked like it might go out at first. Moser scored easily to tie it.
“I was in that situation before in the beginning,” Taylor said. “I just had to protect the plate, make sure nothing got by me. It was a little inside and I just went with it.”
Witt then took a strike before doubling home Taylor.
“I knew there was so much pressure, but I’ve been on her,” Witt said. “I hadn’t been getting hits but I knew I had to stay inside myself. Every at-bat I learned a little more about my swing and how to keep up with her, and then I just let go of all the pressure and just swung.”
Rich had some words of encouragement entering the bottom of the seventh.
“I kept saying, ‘It’s not over until you’re in the dugout,’” she said. “You have to make sure you’re staying in those at-bats and making those pitchers work for every single pitch they throw at you. It was a great test, we got outside of our heads today and weren’t playing how we can. They figured it out, made adjustments and it worked out for the best.”
“For a couple innings we didn’t have our best,” Witt said. “But we’re always there pounding, trying our best.”
It’s the mark of a champion.
Steinert (1-1) 000 200 0 — 2 3 2 Robbinsville (4-0) 001 000 3 — 3 9 2
WP: Hunter. LP: Whittaker. 2B: RMoser, Taylor, Witt. 3B: R-Walsh. RBI: S-Owens 2, R-Witt 2, Taylor. Strikeouts: Whittaker 6, Hunter 6.
Follow Rich Fisher on twitter @fish4scores