Eagles fly into winners bracket with win over Rebels
Published 9:47 pm Wednesday, May 4, 2016
The Goshen Eagles scored five runs in the fourth inning in a 7-1 win over the Zion Chapel Rebels on Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the Class 2A Area 5 Tournament.
“It feels good,” said Eagles head coach Amy Warrick. “We tried to come in here and finish one. We have been there, letting up in the fifth and sixth inning every time. We worked on mentally staying focused.”
The Rebels scored a single run in the bottom of the first inning, but from there Eagles’ starting pitcher Sydni Garrett shut the Rebel offense down.
Garrett pitched all seven innings on Wednesday, surrendering just one unearned run on two hits.
“She pitched a wonderful game,” Warrick said. “The last few times she has pitched she has pitched a good game. I am proud of her. She is pitching really good right now.”
Carson Nelson started for the Rebels and lasted 3 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, none of which were earned on four hits.
The Eagles tallied nine hits, led by Kati Thomas and Lexi Ellisor who finished with two hits apiece. Casey Allen, Kate Warrick and Ellisor each had two RBIs.
The two teams combined to commit seven errors. The Eagles were the team to take advantage of it.
“It feels good, because we have been on the other side of that,” Warrick said. “It feels good to pull it together and stay tight until the end. We had the big inning and strung everything together.”
The Rebels began the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when Haleigh Dewberry scored on an error by Ellisor at second base. Both teams went scoreless for the next two innings.
The Eagles stormed back in the fourth inning when they scored five runs on four hits. Warrick singled to score Kelly and it was followed up by a two-run single by Ellisor that scored both Garrett and Warrick. Kelsey Gibson closed out the scoring in the inning when she scored on error by the shortstop.
The Eagles scored two insurance runs in the seventh on a single by Allen, scoring both Hannah Calhoun and Kelly.
With the win, the Eagles advance into the winners bracket and will play the winner of Elba and New Brockton on Thursday at 1 p.m.
“We are going to have to stay focused,” Warrick said. “We aren’t done. We are happy but we are not letting ourselves get overly emotional, because we have business to do. We can play with the best of teams and we have lost to teams that we shouldn’t lose to. It’s about staying mentally focused.”