The Warrenton softball team put itself in quite a predicament before battling back to secure the most impressive victory of its season thus far. The Warriors overcame a seven-run deficit to knock off …
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Nordwald Guides Warriors to Thrilling Victory
Posted
By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
The Warrenton softball team put itself in quite a predicament before battling back to secure the most impressive victory of its season thus far.The Warriors overcame a seven-run deficit to knock off top-ranked and previously unbeaten St. Dominic 12-11 last Thursday.“The girls did a great job of battling back,” said Coach Trevor Hibbs. “We showed we had a lot of toughness.”The win propelled the Warriors to a No. 1 ranking among small schools in the St. Louis metro area.Hibbs was never convinced his team was out of the contest and apparently his players bought into that notion.Both teams were hitting frequently, and he knew Warrenton was capable of a rally with virtually no weaknesses in the batting rotation.Falling behind 8-1 in the bottom of the fourth, the Warriors gradually began clawing back. A two-run home run by Abby Meyers notched the game at 9-9 in the seventh inning.Warrenton went on to score three more runs during that productive stretch, holding off St. Dominic’s comeback in the bottom of the inning.Sophomore Taylor Nordwald replaced starting pitcher Jennah Garrison during a challenging fourth inning that saw the Crusaders rattle off four runs.“I just acted like it was practice and like it was the beginning of the game,” said Nordwald. “I trusted my outfield and knew they would have my back.”She limited St. Dominic to just three more runs — none earned — while striking out two and allowing six hits.“Taylor came in and threw strikes,” said Hibbs. “She’s a different style pitcher than Jennah.”In a contest between two of the state’s most accurate hitting teams, the Crusaders and Warriors combined for six home runs.“Both teams have outstanding hitting from the top of the lineup to the bottom,” said Hibbs.Erica Rugh was responsible for the first, pushing Warrenton ahead 1-0 in the first inning.“We were hitting the ball hard early but it was right at them,” said Hibbs.St. Dominic tied the game in the bottom of the frame, before moving ahead 3-1 in the second and scoring another run in the third inning.The Crusaders began to pull away in the fourth, using three doubles to tack on four more runs.Nordwald came in to shut down the inning with no additional damage done.“These are the kind of games that are really fun,” said Hibbs. “These are the thrills you play for.”Rachel Earlewine kick-started the rally in the fifth, followed by doubles by Rugh and Jenny Jansen.“The two-out rally was huge,” said Hibbs.Warrenton climbed to within three but St. Dominic went ahead 9-5 in the bottom of the inning.Finally, in the seventh, Hibbs witnessed the hitting display he knew his team was capable of engineering.“That was an incredible inning,” he recalled.Jansen singled and Garrison homered to followed.Meyers then connected on a two-run shot to score herself and Stacey Hemminghaus.Rugh and Jansen doubled to push the Warriors ahead 12-9.“After seeing their pitcher over and over, we really caught on to her,” said Hibbs.St. Dominic answered with a two-run home run, but the rally was cut short.Jansen finished the game four of five with four RBIs.“Jenny made some incredible defensive plays too,” added Hibbs.Rugh was three for five with a pair of RBIs.“I was going to tell them who had good hits, but pretty much every single one of them had big hits in this game,” said Hibbs.During three-and-a-third innings on the mound, Garrison walked one and allowed eight hits and five earned runs.
Sophomore Taylor Nordwald pitched in relief for the Warriors during a 12-11 triumph over St. Dominic.
