Published: April 21, 2007 11:09 pm            

Lady Indians surge for fourth straight win

Back-to-back close plays at the plate Saturday left Madison Central facing a tie situation with time running out in Richmond.

The Lady Indians (7-4) responded to the pressure with three runs, off four hits for a 7-4 win over Rowan County (12-4) in the Madison County Invitational — where a time limit of one hour and 15 minutes was in place for each game.

“We just get these spurts and we love to just come back and beat the ball,” Devin Foster said. “We just got on a rally and went after it and scored some runs.”

And the pressure came as the Lady Vikings were down two, 4-2, in the bottom of the fourth. A lead-off single and an error on a double led to the first tight play at home.

Grace Garland threw the ball to Meredith Busher, who fired it to Foster.

Foster appeared to tag the Rowan County player trying to run by, but the umpire ruled otherwise.

During the next at bat, a Sienna Wallace pitch got by Foster. Wallace came to cover the plate and make the tag on the Lady Viking stealing home, but the tag was high and that run scored.

“I was pretty sure I had her at first and still looking back on it I’m pretty sure I had her,” Wallace said. “And the one with Devin, that she got, she had her. And the girl should have slid.”

Wallace got that batter to ground out, but after walking the next hitter was relieved by Brislyn Sizemore.

The freshman stopped the bleeding with a pop out and a ground out to give the Lady Indians enough time for one last rally.

“I’m just glad they didn’t effect us,” MCHS coach Jonelle Csora said about the close plays at home. “It ended up where they came back and ended up hitting. So it didn’t effect us, but it’s could have been one of those scary things that did.”

After Danielle Johnson and Megan Lowery reached on back-to-back singles, Johnson scored off a Sizemore double. Lowery came in off a Foster single. Sizemore scored the final run on a fielder’s choice double-play.

Sizemore picked up the win, allowing just one hit in her 12/3 innings of work. Wallace went 31/3 innings with two strikeouts and three walks.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Lady Indians.

Carrie Campbell pitched the first game of the day for Central, a 7-2 win over Somerset.

In the championship game, Russell County defeated the Lady Indians, 8-1 to wrap up the tournament.

Making the all-tournament team for Central was Sizemore, Foster and Rachel Long.

        

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