Goshen earns right to host area tournament with 12-6 win over New Brockton

Goshen bats came alive at the exact moment the heavens opened up Tuesday afternoon. For three-and-a-half innings, the rain held off and Goshen remained hitless. The rain began to come down at the beginning of the bottom of the third inning, and soon after Goshen picked up its first hit.

As the rain continued to fall, Goshen continued to pick up hit after hit, and run after run, clawing itself out of a three-run hole and claiming a 12-6 win over the New Brockton Lady Gamecocks. With the win, the Lady Eagles win the regular season area championship and earn the right to host the area tournament next week.

“To us, it is not really about where we play,” said Goshen head coach Amy Warrick. “We just wanted a good seed. There is no better seed than No. 1, so we will work to get a little better and get ready to play again.”

After seeing her team fall behind 3-0 early, Goshen’s Haley Hughes picked up the Lady Eagles’ first hit of the ball game on a slap hit to left center. Casey Allen scored Goshen’s first run of the game on a RBI groundout from Tessa Little, while Hughes later came around to score on a line drive double to center from Kaitlin Gamble.

The rain continued to trickle down, and the Goshen bats stayed hot in the fifth inning. In the inning, the Lady Eagles sent 12 batters to the plate, pounded out six hits, scored eight runs and took the lead for good.

Fran Warrick, Katie Thomas, Samantha Roy, Allen and Gamble all picked up hits in the inning. Warrick had a single and a two RBI double in the frame.

“We finally decided to make an adjustment and start hitting the top half of the ball,” said Warrick. “We were hitting the bottom and popping it up. I am so proud of them finally making the adjustment, hitting the bottom half and start lining some of those balls off.”

Gamble led the Eagles at the plate going 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Gamble reached base all four times she came to plate. Warrick said Gamble’s big day was expected after some recent hitting work.

“She finally put it all together today,” said Warrick. “She went and took some private lessons the other day, and it paid off. You could almost see the wait leave her when the got the first hit.”

Thomas started the game in the circle for Goshen, but ran in to trouble very early. Thomas walked the first two batters she faced, and then gave up a line drive single as New Brockton added to an early lead.

Midway through the fourth at-bat of the game, Warrick made the move to pull Thomas. Lizzy Galloway inherited a 3-0 count and a runner on third, but fired seven consecutive strikes to end the early threat.

Galloway would strike out nine Gamecock batters and scatter seven hits en route to the win.