Inside the park homer ignites Braden River to first region softball victory in three years
EAST MANATEE -- The last time Linda Ross had a chance for an inside-the-park homer, Melissa Dowling gave her the stop sign and held her up at third.
"It was a mistake. I should've let her go. I owed her one," the Braden River softball coach said Wednesday night after the host Pirates disposed of Mitchell 5-3 in a Class 7A-Region 3 quarterfinal.
Dowling got her chance to make amends when Ross smashed a line drive down the left field line in the second inning past the outfielder and used her speed to circle the bases.
"I wasn't going to stop her," Dowling said.
"I wasn't going to stop," Ross said with a smile. "The last time I knew I could've made it. This time I was just going."
The shortstop easily made it home for her first homer of the season, which gave the Pirates (21-2) a 4-0 lead and proved to be just enough to get the victory. The senior also played a solid game on defense.
"There was no way I was stopping her tonight," Dowling said. "She put that ball in the perfect spot and Linda's got some speed. I did it wrong in the district championship game, but she got hers tonight. She is my silent hero. She doesn't get a lot of credit and goes about her business the right way."
Mitchell (17-7) put together a rally in the fourth to cut its deficit to 4-3 against starter Lexi Phelps. Ali Yawn came into the game in the fourth to relieve Phelps with two runners on and two outs and put the brakes on Mitchell.
But the defensive play of the game came in that inning when Braden River catcher Kylie Toler picked a runner off second base gambling her throw would be perfect with a runner on third.
Yawn faced 12 batters and allowed only two hits while retiring the last four batters she faced and seven out of the last eight batters.
"She hit her spots, gets us out of the jam and cruises the rest of the way," Dowling said. "All year long we worked on a rotation, Ali pitched one and Lexi pitched one. In the playoffs, the teams are mentally tough. We have asked so much from Ali. She works hard, gets the job done and has ice in her veins."
Braden River picked up three runs in the first. Myah Moy led off the bottom of the inning with a triple and the Pirates loaded the bases with no outs.
Zaire Yancy got a two-run single after Brooke Farrow drove in a run with a ground out. The Mustangs came back with three runs in the fourth when they knocked out four hits and took advantage of two walks.
Yawn gave herself an insurance run in the fourth when she singled and scored when the Mitchell third baseman threw the ball past first on a potential ground out off the bat of Ross.
"I trust in my fielders. I knew they were going to get the outs for me and I trusted in my stuff," Yawn said. "I knew I had to be mentally prepared whether I was starting or not. You just have to trust in your pitches and trust in your catchers and your fielders. We complement each other really well."
Seven of the nine batters in the Braden River lineup reached base at least once. Yancy just missed hitting a home in the fifth with a runner on.
Phelps picked up the win to improve to 10-0 with a 1.90 ERA. Yawn is 10-2 with a 2.60 ERA. "This is our first regional win in three years. It's nice. We will play home again on, and it's another chance to keep going," Dowling said.
The Pirates will play host on Tuesday against Osceola.
Alan Dell, Herald sports columnist/writer, can be reached at 941-745-7056. Follow him on Twitter @ADellSports
This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Inside the park homer ignites Braden River to first region softball victory in three years ."