Driver's walk-off lifts Central to dramatic comeback win over East

Apr. 26—CHEYENNE — In sports, no one really knows when it will be their moment to deliver a clutch play for their team.

For sophomore first baseman Maya Driver, that opportunity came in the bottom of the eighth inning. Facing two outs with a full count and the winning run on second base, Driver lifted a deep shot into left field that caught the wind and landed in play.

The walk-off single helped Central pick up a 12-11 win, completing a dramatic six-run come-from-behind win in the conference portion of its doubleheader with No. 3-ranked Cheyenne East.

"It was a little nerve-wracking," Driver said. "We have worked on two-strike approaches (in practice), so I knew what I had to do to win."

But while Central managed to outlast its crosstown rival, the road to victory was anything but easy. The Indians found themselves in holes of four and six runs, respectively, late in the game. But while those deficits may have been back-breakers for the Indians mere weeks ago, it was nothing more than a speed bump on Friday.

"We're growing and are on a roll right now," Central coach Carrie Barker said. "They're just feeling like a really good team right now, and are trusting each other and are being so unselfish right now."

East opened up a 1-0 lead on a RBI single from junior shortstop Aleah Brooks in the top of the first inning that was quickly answered by Bailey Martinez in the bottom of the first after grounding into a fielder's choice. Senior pitchers Lillian Vallejo and Katie Hinz were excellent through the first three innings, with neither surrendering more than two hits in an inning.

In the top of the fourth, sophomore catcher McKenzie Millar blasted a lead-off home run to right-center field to put East up 2-1. After Central's first three batters were retired in the bottom half of the inning, East went on to put three runs across the plate — two by way of walks — in the top of the fifth. The Thunderbirds also managed to chase Hinz from the game, for the time being.

Central cut the lead back to two after an infield fly ball caught the wind and landed just in front of the outstretched glove of Taylor Hollibaugh. But East more than made up for it in the top of the sixth, teeing up relief pitcher Izzy Kelly for four runs to take a 9-3 lead.

The Indians once again managed to cut back into the lead, putting two runs across in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-5 deficit into the final frame. After being chased from the game earlier, Hinz stepped back in to try to keep her team within striking distance.

She gave up a lead-off double to Rylee Stephenson, but retired the next three batters to keep the deficit at four.

"She was throwing really well, but then we started to struggle a bit," Barker said. "For her to come back in and throw those strikes when we need her to (was huge)."

After getting the first out with relative ease, Vallejo ran into some trouble in the circle. Two walks and a double loaded the bases before a single from Driver scored Bailey Martinez to cut the lead to three. After Hinz flew out to deep center field, Izzy Kelly blasted a two-out three RBI triple to left field to tie the game at nine. Vallejo managed to get the last out, striking out Cam Moyte to keep East's hopes of a win alive.

The T-Birds scored two runs on wild pitches in the top of the eighth, but it wasn't enough to stave off the bats of Central. Madi Birt picked up a RBI double to open the inning and cut the lead to one.

Two batters later, Tayvin Aragon ripped a single into right field that hung just inside the line for a RBI double to tie it. The hit set up Driver for the final hit of the game, and she was mobbed by her teammates at third base following the game.

"It (came down to) trusting our team," Driver said. "It was (also) us knowing that we had the next play when we made a mistake.

"...We (knew we) had really strong hitters coming up next, and we got it."

The loss stings particularly for East, given the fact that it had chances to get outs and extra runs and was unable to, according to T-Birds coach Adam Galicia.

"It makes it really tough (to swallow)," Galicia said. "We were chasing balls that were out of the zone or were lunging, so we leave runners on base. (We) had chances for a few more RBIs, and we just didn't take advantage of it."

Hinz took the win in the circle, fanning 11 batters and allowing eight hits. Kelly led the team from the plate, going 3-for-3 with a triple and three RBI. Driver finished the game 2-for-5 from the plate, as well.

East was led from the plate by Millar, who finished 2-for-4 with a home run, double and three RBI. Madelyn Artery went 2-for-4 with two RBI, as well.

The game's outcome has the potential to have lasting impacts on both teams. With the regular season coming to a close next week, and the regional tournament following the week after, Barker hopes the win will serve as both a momentum and confidence booster for the Indians as the try to qualify for the Class 4A state tournament in May.

On the flip side, Galicia hopes his team will remember the sting of defeat from the game as they push toward the state tournament.

"I want it to be a driving force (for us) to play first pitch to last pitch," the coach said. "We had a handful of players that did that, but we had some that didn't."

GAME TWO East 15 Central 6

After three scoreless innings in the second half of its doubleheader with Central, East scored 15 runs in three innings to pick up a 15-6 win. Twelve of East's 15 runs came in the fifth and sixth innings. East also outhit Central 17-8 in the contest.

Brooks led the T-Birds at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. Gracie Oswald went 3-for-4 with a double. Stephenson picked up the win in the circle, fanning seven batters and allowing just two earned runs in five innings of work.

Driver continued her excellent play from the first game, going 2-for-2 with a triple and an RBI. Thomas had a good performance from the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Matt Atencio covers Laramie County prep sports for WyoSports. He can be reached at matencio@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @MattAtencio5.