During her career as North Pike fastpitch softball coach, Sonya Wallace has accrued many special memories.
Notwithstanding was last season’s Class 4A state runner-up finish.
On Thursday night, Wallace’s list of special memories grew just a bit longer.
Lauren Wells’ two-out, two-run single capped a four-run fourth inning and Brianna Brister closed out a complete-game victory with a 1-2-3 seventh inning as the North Pike Jaguars edged Madison Central 8-7 at North Pike on Thursday.
Previously unbeaten Madison Central entered the game as the state’s top-ranked team in Class 6A.
North Pike improved to 2-0 on the young season.
“This is definitely up there as one of my top wins,” Wallace said. “Anytime you can beat a 6A team of their magnitude it’s something special.”
Already leading 4-2, North Pike seemingly built a comfortable lead in the fourth.
Breanna McKenzie walked to open the inning and advanced to second when Madison Central relief pitcher Kelly Young cleanly fielded Savannah Johnston’s grounder, but threw late to second. Rachel Kelly then walked to load the bases.
Two outs later, Shelby Abdul-Hadi reached on a dropped third strike that hit off the top of catcher Katie Ann Bailey’s mitt to the backstop.
Wells followed with a line-drive single to center that plated Johnston to make it 6-2. The hit got past center fielder Katie Simpson, allowing Kelly and Abdul-Hadi to score and stretch the lead to 8-2.
Madison Central battled itself back into the game with a four-run top of the fifth. The comeback frame was highlighted by an RBI double from Mari Ashten Lovelace and run-scoring singles by Katie Ann Bailey and Brittney McBrain. Lovelace also scored on a wild pitch to pull the visiting Lady Jaguars to within 8-6.
The visitors pulled to within 8-7 in the top of the sixth on a walk, stolen base and a North Pike throwing error.
After issuing a walk, Brister escaped the sixth when she got Lovelace to pop out to shortstop Wells, who made the inning-ending catch in short left field.
Brister then retired Madison Central in order in the seventh to close out the win. The right-hander tossed a six-hitter, walked four, struck out four and hit a batter.
“They got a couple of hits, but we managed to hang on,” Wallace said.
North Pike held on for the win despite committing six errors.
Wins in her team’s first two games has Wallace thinking big, especially since North Pike opened last season 0-5 before finishing as the state’s second-best team in Class 4A.
“We’re out to a better start than we’ve had the past couple of years,” Wallace said. “We have a lot of the same girls and they want to get better. They’re working hard at it and it’s paying off in games.”
Madison Central built a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second inning.
North Pike got on the board in the bottom of the second when Wells walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Marissa Jenkins’ infield groundout.
Consecutive doubles by Rachel Kelly, Alana Hopkins and Charneissa Gordon to open the third inning gave North Pike a 3-2 lead. Marissa Jenkins added a sacrifice fly that plated Gordon with the inning’s final run. Jenkins was called out on what was deemed an infield fly even though her pop-up was dropped in shallow left-center field.
Madison Central looked to creep closer when McBrain walked to open the top of the fourth and went to third on Lindsey Rowe’s hit-and-run single to center.
After striking out the next batter, Brister induced Young to fly out to left field that appeared to bring home McBrain. But after a protest by North Pike, McBrain was called out for leaving third base early, ending the inning.
