Prep Softball: Oak Hills mounts thrilling comeback in the 7th inning to beat Apple Valley
In the bottom of the sixth inning of Wednesday’s Mojave River League matchup between the Oak Hills and Apple Valley softball teams, Maddie Romo tried her best to keep the game scoreless.
A pitcher’s duel at that point between her and Brynne Johnson kept the score tied at 0-0 with Apple Valley threatening. Johnson, Apple Valley's starting pitcher, stood on third base with one out with Ireland Jenkins at the plate.
Romo got Jenkins to two strikes and fired a pitch in. Like Romo had done 10 times earlier, she yelled in excitement in the circle as it appeared to be strike three. The umpire called the pitch a ball and Jenkins would eventually be walked.
Romo and Oak Hills head coach Kelli Rios have the same mentality of not allowing an umpire to decide a game, it should be in the players’ hands.
“I was super, super frustrated, but it’s just that same mentality of just keep throwing your game, he shouldn’t affect it,” Romo said about the umpire’s calls after Oak Hills beat Apple Valley 7-4.
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Apple Valley would go on to score Johnson and Ireland, giving them a 2-0 lead heading into the seventh inning.
After the inning ended, Romo went back to the dugout, hoping that her team could climb out of the two-run deficit, while her place in the batting order was eight spots away.
Oak Hills then scored seven runs in the seventh inning with Romo scoring the last run with a home run to center field.
“My energy was through the roof,” Romo said about the team’s comeback. “I’ve had a struggle in the box so I felt like that was kind of the cherry on top.”
Pitching duel
For five and a half innings, the game was dominated by the pitching of Romo and Johnson.
Neither team sent more than five players to the plate in an inning during the first five and a half innings as both pitchers limited baserunners and quickly got out of innings when there was action on the bases.
Romo finished with 11 strikeouts.
Johnson finished with just one strikeout that came in the seventh inning but induced weak contact at times with solid defense behind her.
Apple Valley tried to capitalize with runners on base by bunting them over but the team struggled with getting the bunt down. Despite trying it multiple times throughout the game, the first successful bunt came in the sixth inning.
Apple Valley head coach Alfonso Zamora says the problem was the team trying to bunt for base hits and not for sacrifice bunts.
“That’s what we just talked about here was that you guys have to be unselfish,” Zamora said after his team’s post-game huddle.
7th inning comeback
After six innings of not being able to get anything substantial going on offense, Oak Hills unloaded in the seventh.
A leadoff walk was followed by consecutive singles from Dallyse York and Destinee Estrada to score one. Oak Hills tied it after a ground ball to first baseman Khloe Beserra was mishandled, allowing York to score.
Sam Spencer broke the tie with a single to center. Leadoff hitter Daylin Hoenisch then blew the game open with a three-run home run to left field. It was what Rios was waiting the whole game for.
“When Daylin hit her home run, I actually got goosebumps,” Rios said.
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Oak Hills sent six batters to the plate without making an out and scored all six. Romo would make it seven with her home run.
The Sun Devils fought back in their turn in the seventh inning when Johnson hit a two-run single to make it a three-run game but Romo got the last out and sealed the victory.
What’s next
Oak Hills, the three-time defending MRL champions, look to carry the momentum into next week’s clash at home against Sultana on April 1.
Apple Valley is back in action on Friday afternoon with a road game against Serrano.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Prep Softball: Oak Hills rallies in 7th inning to beat Apple Valley
