No. 8 Chesapeake softball gets wake-up call, rallies to beat Broadneck, 13-5
Chesapeake was admittedly keeping one eye on a clash later this week against Crofton, but refocused enough to survive a test from Broadneck.
Before celebrating another dominant victory, 13-5 over Broadneck, Chesapeake softball admittedly let its collective mind wander when the players stepped onto the Bruins’ diamond Wednesday. They couldn’t help but stare off into the distance to where Crofton awaits for a top-tier county clash.
But Broadneck rattled the Cougars right out of their daydreams. Pitcher and RBI-maker Sam Waters and crew dragged Chesapeake into the present with a four-run bonzana in the bottom of the third inning to take a 5-3 lead.
Chesapeake coach Brittany Owen didn’t hate that. Thirteen-run blowouts, she knew her Cougars could do. But toes to the fire was something new.
“I’d rather a game like this,” Owen said.
No team had been able to wrench Chesapeake’s momentum for its own gain like that this season. The Cougars didn’t recognize it. But they combatted stress with optimism.
“We got this,” they told each other. And then, their chance came.
Sophomore Allison Schaefer raced toward third base as her teammate Ava Cicchetti’s line drive was knocked down by Broadneck shortstop Mara Gilkey. She tossed to Bella Herrera at third going for a forceout, but Herrera couldn’t field a blur whizzing past her. Not even Owen knew where it ended up until the umpire barked and pointed to the ball, nestled out-of-bounds under the fence gate.
Smiling, Schaefer crossed home plate with the tying run. Broadneck relieved Waters from the circle. One last moment of peace.
“We just needed base hits,” Chesapeake senior Kasey Slade (3-for-4) said. “Nothing crazy.”
And then, as if Chesapeake lowered a disco ball and pumped up house music, its party began.
Slade powered a deep shot to right field for a run; Ryleigh Smoot followed with another. Lindsay Cavey (3-for-5) lured infielders for her fielder’s choice while the eighth run scored, and Riley Price picked a far spot in left for the ninth.
Owen might not have been sure what would’ve happened had that ball not left the field of play, had her team not proven itself to be so resilient.
“I don’t think we would’ve stayed flat for long,” she said. “Not with the leadership we have.”
But Chesapeake couldn’t stop. The hunger that grew over those empty innings growled for more, and the Cougars abided: a triple by Smoot and single by Cavey in the top of the seventh flipped another four runs on the board.
Broadneck couldn’t respond; Cavey made sure of that. From her entrance to the circle in the bottom of the fourth, the junior recorded six strikeouts.
“I just knew I needed to strike as many people out as I could,” Cavey said. “I couldn’t let up any more hits.”
The Cougars reckoned there was no better team to play before Crofton.
“I think it’ll show us we can come back,” Slade said. “Even if it gets close with Crofton, we can push and win anyway.”
Chesapeake — 030 105 4 — 13 14 0Broadneck — 014 000 0 — 5 9 3WP: Cavey LP: Waters2B: BN — Weibley 2, Waters 2; 3B: CH — Smoot