On a day when North Pike’s softball team was not hitting its best, senior center fielder Sarah Brock made the key defensive plays in a 6-3 win at home in Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs against Lawrence County May 3.
The Lady Jaguars’ (24-6, 8-2) win was the first of four victories in a five-day timespan. North Pike won Game 2 of the second round at Lawrence County Wednesday to sweep the series 2-0. The Lady Jaguars swept Newton County this past weekend in the South State Championship 2-0.
North Pike is in the 4A State Championship against West Lauderdale with Game 1 of a three-game series starting at 11:30 a.m. Thursday while Game 2 is at 11:30 a.m. Friday. Game 3, if necessary, will be Saturday. All championship games are at Freedom Ridge Park in Ridgeland.
Brock’s efforts against Lawrence County set up North Pike to be in the championship and earned her the Enterprise-Journal’s Player of the Week honors.
“She’s a spark plug for our team to speak,” North Pike head coach Sonya Wallace said. “She gets out there and leads things for us. If she leads, usually the girls are following right behind her.”
Lawrence County led 1-0 in the top of the fourth and had a chance to extend its lead. The Lady Cougars’ hitter reached on a single and the runner of third base a chance to score. However, Brock relayed the ball to her sister, freshman shortstop Jenna Brock, to hold the runner on third base. The runner on third was picked off in a rundown to end the inning with catcher Madison Bates applying the tag.
North Pike scored six in the bottom half of the fourth to take a 6-1 lead.
“Even if they would have scored, I would have had enough faith in my team to come back and get hits,” Brock said. “Being able to stop them at that time and not let them score any more, I think helped us know we’ve got this, we can do it.”
Eleven hitters came to the plate for North Pike in the bottom of the fourth, but Brock was the only one to get the ball out of the infield. She singled and scored and hit a two-run single. She was 2 for 3 with one run and two RBIs.
“When I just get up to the plate, I try to see where my defense is. I started that inning,” Brock said. “My idea was just get on for my team. We were down, just get on. When I batted again, it was bases loaded, so I had to think, ‘OK, I’ve got to get it out of the infield to score more runs.’ It’s just how I approached the plate.”
Brock also had a diving catch in the top of the seventh to save a hit, and Lawrence County did not score in the inning. She said starting pitcher Madison Bigner does very well on the mound, but the few times she misses her spot, the defense must back her up.
“I just go out there every game trying to give my all for them because I know they’d do it for me,” Brock said. “We’ve just been so close this year that, no matter if it’s a diving catch or routine fall ball, I’m going to try my best to perform.”
Sarah and Jenna Brock are one of five sets of sisters on the Lady Jaguars, a situation that has both advantages and disadvantages.
“Being on teams with sisters, it’s a good thing and a bad thing because you know what they’re capable of and you know what you want them to do, but then again, if they don’t do it, you’re more fussy with them,” Sarah said.
Sarah said every time she wants to tell Bigner something on the mound, she relays the message to Jenna at shortstop.
“She has it tougher than anyone on this team because I can be very hard to deal with,” Sarah said. “Shortstop is a tough position and I will yell at her anytime, because she knows if she’s not where I want her to be, she’s going to get a little fussing at, but I’m very proud of the way she’s played this year. She’s grown so much and I’m very glad I got to play my senior year and be at state with her.”
Sarah will play for Jones County Junior College next season.
