BY JUSTIN RICE
It?s been a familiar script for North Stafford?s softball team: extra innings in a low-scoring playoff game.
And just as in their last two wins, the Wolverines found a way Monday to survive.
?When it comes down to it,? North Stafford senior Beth Kelley said, ?my teammates know this is it. They have to pull through.?
Julia Barbarczuk led off the eighth inning with a single and scored on Jess Nowak?s one-out hit to left, and Nowak slid safely into home on a grounder to second by Ashleigh Neville, as the Wolverines rallied for a 2?1 win Monday against Forest Park in the Northwest Region quarterfinals.
North Stafford will play at Broad Run at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the region semifinals. The winner clinches a state tournament berth.
But that opportunity for North Stafford came within three outs of dying on its home field Monday.
Scary. Stressful. Intense.
There were plenty of adjectives offered up to describe the Wolverines? collective feelings in the top of the eighth, when the Bruins? Annalea Roeske led off with a hit, advanced to second on an error, to third on a bunt and came home on an infield grounder for a 1?0 Forest Park lead.
The Bruins? rally included three other base runners?one who had to be tagged out at home after a squeeze attempt.
The Wolverines?a senior-laden team facing the end of a successful season?looked shaken.
?I know I had that look,? Kelley said. ?They had the shock in their face.?
But by the time they escaped the jam and jogged into the dugout down 1?0 with three outs to plate a run, North Stafford coach Pam Kantor saw a different look.
?They knew this was their last chance and they weren?t going to let their season end,? she said. ?They came in so fired up, and everybody that hit in that inning had nothing but fire in their eyes, and they all came through.?
The Wolverines needed 12 innings to beat Stafford in the Commonwealth District semifinals. They needed 10 frames to vanquish Albemarle for the district title.
So late-inning heroics?by a variety of players?have been nothing new.
Monday, it was Barbarczuk?s turn to start things off, and Neville?s night to finish the rally.
Barbarczuk hit a 2?1 pitch sharply to right field to spark the rally. Helana Rotte followed with a sacrifice bunt to move her to second base.
That brought up Nowak?the Wolverines? leadoff hitter and perhaps their best bat. She was hitless in her first three at-bats, but with the season on the line she flared a single into right. Barbarczuk scored easily to tie the game.
?It has been fun, and it?s been a lot of unexpected players coming through,? Nowak said. ?[Barbarczuk?s] been doing so well. I?m proud of her.?
Kelsie Barker followed Nowak by reaching on an error, and Kelley walked to load the bases.
Neville stepped to the plate with one out, needing just to put the ball in play sharply to score the game-winner.
?It comes to the point where if you don?t get the hit to get the run in, you feel like it?s your fault,? she said. ?I wasn?t so scared. I think my adrenaline took over.?
Neville hit the first pitch she saw to the Forest Park second baseman. The ball was fielded cleanly, but Nowak slid home before the throw arrived.
The North Stafford bench erupted in celebration, with the Wolverines knowing they had survived their closest dance with playoff death so far this spring.
?It was very scary,? Kantor said. ?But when I came in and saw the look Julia Barbarczuk had, I knew she was going to get on base.
?Helena did her job. Jess was there to follow up. Kelsie slapped it hard in play. Everybody followed up together and did exactly what we needed to win.?
- R H E
Forest Park 00 00 00 01 1 3 2
N. Stafford 00 00 00 02 2 4 3
JESSIE MIDDLETON and Megan Anderson. KELSIE BARKER and Beth Kelley.
Justin Rice: 540/368-5045
jrice@freelancestar.com
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