Faithful sorsn.com readers will recall that earlier in the softball season, the Lady Waves met with disappointment when they played the first half of their district series with the Lady Tigers at Rockwood. Tensions were high on Thursday evening when it was Midway’s turn to play host. Expectations were hopeful, and the crowd was sizable and rowdy.
The Lady Tigers struck first in the top of the second inning. With two runners on and two out, an RBI single gave Rockwood a 1-0 lead. However, when the Lady Tiger on second base tried for third on a throw home, she underestimated the arm of Midway catcher Christina Stansbury. Stansbury hooked up with third baseman Hali Morris for the tag and the third out of the frame.
In the bottom of the third inning, Midway came firing back. After some defensive miscues by Rockwood put two Lady Waves on base, pitcher Alex Richardson smacked a big double to give Midway a 2-1 lead.
It didn’t take long for Rockwood to even things up. With a couple of hits and a sacrifice fly, the Lady Tigers brought the tally to 2-2 after four innings of play.
In the top of the fifth, things would get rough for the Lady Waves. With the bases loaded, a Rockwood batter knocked a grand slam to give the Lady Tigers a 6-2 lead. All the air was sucked out of the big SOR crowd, as the Rockwood contingent celebrated.
This is the point in the game where most teams would sense impending defeat and roll over. Not the Lady Waves of Midway. These young ladies have been through the fire. This was gut-check time.
After center fielder Danielle Borum singled to start off the bottom of the fifth frame, Richardson hit to bring her home. Later, a Midway runner was tagged out at home on a fielder’s choice, but a Rockwood error on the same play allowed Richardson to score. A big hit close to the right field line by first baseman Taylr Hall brought left fielder Paige Moree in. Stansbury then singled to score Hall. By this time, the SOR crowd was rabid. In a matter of moments, the Lady Waves had rallied to tie the score. With two outs, short stop Hayley Patterson roped a double to left center field to bring Stansbury across the plate and claim the lead for Midway. After five innings, the Lady Waves held the lead, 7-6.
With two innings left to play and a one run lead, this game was far from over. However, the momentum seemed to all be with Midway. After safely getting out of the top of the sixth with their lead intact, the Lady Waves picked up where they left off. But they took it to another level. With one swing, lead off hitter Danielle Borum resparked the Midway offense. Borum crushed the ball and sent it for a ride over the outfield fence. Way over. 8-6, Midway. After second baseman Taylor Narramore doubled, Alex Richardson came to the plate. When Richardson made contact, it was clear that she was also going yard. With this home run, Richardson moved into sole possession of the all-time Midway record for most homers. 10-6, Lady Waves. The Midway crowd was wild with jubilation.
Sensing the finish line nearing, the Lady Waves kept the runs coming. Hits by Moree, right fielder Halie Wiley and Borum, along with RBI’s by Stansbury and Narramore, brought the score to 14-6. After another run scored on an error, Moree singled to bring the final Midway runner across the plate. The scoreboard read 16-6. The Lady Waves had run ruled Rockwood.
Top hitters for Midway included Alex Richardson (3-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBI), Danielle Borum (3-5, HR, RBI), Christina Stansbury (3-4, 2 RBI) and Paige Moree (3-5, 2B, RBI). Richardson was also the winning pitcher.
With this huge victory, the Lady Waves move into first place in the district standings. Remaining on the district schedule are two games against the Harriman Lady Devils and a game at Grace Christian with the Lady Rams. The Lady Waves edged Grace at home two weeks ago by a score of 4-2. The postseason begins in two weeks.