Typical Fauquier Falcon softball.
A scoreless game through two and one-half innings, then the bottom of the third arrives and BOOM.
A walk, four hits and a long sacrifice fly later, the Falcons led visiting Loudoun County 5-0 in the Class 4 Region C semifinals en route to a 7-3 victory on June 14 in a game called after five innings due to multiple lightning delays totaling one hour, 50 minutes.
Now 16-0, the Falcons are one victory away from returning to the Class 4 state tournament for the first time since 2016.
Standing in the way is Dulles District champion Tuscarora (14-1) in the region final at FHS. Tuscarora downed James Wood a 10-0 in a five-inning mercy rule semifinal on Monday. Tuscarora won the Dulles title by beating Loudoun County 1-0 in the title game.
"It's only to get tougher from here," Fauquier coach Erika Lamper said. "One pitch at a time," she stressed.
Monday’s Falcon win saw a lot of traffic on the basepaths in the early innings with no runs.
Fauquier squandered chances in the first inning when a runner was cut down trying to steal third with no outs and on a line drive double play in the second with no outs.
But Falcon pitcher Meghan Harrington also escaped danger as Loudoun County put runners on second and third with one out in the second but stranded both. In the third, slugger Bizi Manni, who’ll attend Division I Mount St. Mary’s, ripped a powerful shot to center field with two runners on, but right at Falcon Meredith Wayland to end that threat.
While a bit frustrated with the inability to score, Lamper felt it was too early to worry.
"That's why you play seven innings. Our girls, once they get their timing, they are ready to go," she said with a smile.
Catcher Helena Lovell walked to open the third inning, with Brooke Owens entering as the courtesy runner. Payton Swart then sent a high towering drive off the left center field fence for a run-scoring triple, as Owens raced home barely beating a tag. Mikayla Gilmore followed with a single under the second baseman’s glove to score Swart and make it 2-0.
Skye Corum’s double put Gilmore at third and set the stage for Meghan Harrington's pop fly into shallow right center, which tipped off the diving center fielder's glove for a sliding double and a 3-0 lead.
Meredith Wayland's long sacrifice fly outside the left field line plated Corum to make it 4-0. Izzy Evans, running for Harrington, capped the scoring at 5-0 on Emma Carter's ground out.
"They feed off each other. When one gets started, they all were cheering their team and each other," said Lamper.
In the Falcon fourth, Katie Harrington was safe on a dropped fly ball, moving to second on Swart's one-out single. Gilmore's hard ground ball to second went through the fielder's legs to score Harrington for a 6-0 lead. Swart scored on the play on a second error for a 7-0 margin.
Loudoun County did not die as Callie Keys doubled with one out and scored on Madison Miller's single to make it 7-1. Then the impressive Manni crushed a long drive over the left field fence for a two-run homer to make it 7-3.
Fauquier went three up, three down in the bottom of the fifth. The lightning soon arrived and never left.
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June 22, 2021 at 11:41PM
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Five-run third inning puts Fauquier softball one win away from states - Fauquier Times
"five" - Google News
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