Gallery by Tina Laney
Woodrow Wilson head softball coach Pam Davis admitted she was a little nervous Tuesday night.
The nervousness came as a result of a nearly two-week layoff for her team who was red hot going into spring break.
Add in the fact that the Flying Eagles were battling perennial power Independence, it was easy to understand Davis’ mindset.
Woodrow Wilson never missed a beat.
Strong pitching, big plays on defense and the power hitting of Ava Mullins and Kayla Bird gave Woodrow Wilson a thrilling 2-1 walk-off win.
“I was a little nervous and when I got to thinking about, I thought we might be in a little trouble,” Davis said. “It was cold and I was just hoping we hadn’t messed up. Once we started playing and I saw we were hitting the ball, I knew we would be fine. It was a wonderful game and I am so happy for them.”
The seventh inning alone had enough drama to fill a Hollywood script.
With two outs in the top of the seventh and the game tied 1-1, Independence found some life with a single from Delaney Buckland.
After Buckland was lifted for a courtesy runner, two wild pitches put the Patriots 60 feet from the lead.
A walk and a stolen base gave Indy two runners in scoring position before Woodrow catcher Taylor McDaniel saw the runner stray too far away from third base.
McDaniel fired the ball to third, setting off a wild run down that included a dropped throw at third base. Woodrow recovered and nailed to runner at home to end the Indy threat.
“I was telling myself in my head that I had to buckle down. One bad pitch and I was going to let a run in,” Woodrow Wilson starting pitcher Aubrey Smallwood said. “Every time we do that, my adrenaline goes crazy. We seem to end up with a good outcome every time we have done that, but it is crazy to watch.”
Escaping a huge jam in the top of the inning, the Flying Eagles could not have asked for a better scenario in the bottom of the inning.
Mullins, who had already recorded three hits in her three previous trips, was first up with Bird to follow.
The twosome had already combined on Woodrow’s first run in the fifth inning when Mullins hit a one-out double and scored on Bird’s single to tie the game.
Mullins brought the Woodrow crowd to its feet by drilling a shot to the left-center fence to open the seventh inning and she was off to the races.
“They tell us to never look at the ball. When I am passing first, I am looking at (third base coach) Tony (Maiolo) the whole way. If he is swinging his arms, I am kicking it,” Mullins said, smiling. “Me and Kayla (hitting) at three and four (in the lineup) really helps because she is that big power hitter. If I can get on, she is always getting me in.”
In a situation where she expected to be walked, Bird found a pitch close to the plate and sent a missile up the middle for the dramatic game winner.
“I was a little surprised, but I grew up with Delaney and she (is tough). She can really spin the ball and she moves it,” Bird said. “I knew if she pitched to me, she wasn’t going to leave it over (the plate). The pitch I hit was a ball or two off the plate. It was not meant to be a strike. I was just thinking with a runner on third, hit a sac fly. Put the ball somewhere. It was a curveball off the plate and I just took it up the middle. That was the first time we have beat Indy in a long time.”
Ironically, Mullins credited the time off and intense work as her key to success Tuesday.
“Coming out over spring break really helped. We hit every single day. I can’t tell you how many balls we hit every day,” Mullins said. “Dad, (assistant coach Ed Mullins), making me come out every day really helped. I hadn’t had the greatest start, but you can tell practice is making it better.”
Independence head coach Ken Adkins explained his strategy on Bird’s game winner.
“My intent there was to throw four balls. I could have walked two in a row, but I thought I would pitch around them and maybe they would swing at a bad pitch,” Adkins said. “We didn’t play very well and we still aren’t hitting the ball and that is just a fact. We can’t give our pitcher any support. When you are always pitching from behind or in a tie game, it just makes things difficult.”
Independence had its chances, but could not get a break to go its way.
McDaniel nailed a pair of runners trying to steal to end early threats. Smallwood came up with big strikeouts with runners in scoring position and Abby Wooton made a game-saving play on a sinking liner in the sixth that would have easily scored two runs.
“I was really proud of my team. It was a joint effort tonight. We made plays on the field, diving plays, run downs and picking a girl off,” Bird said. “This is going to build us up for sectionals and I am excited to finish the season with my team.”
I: 000 010 0 – 1 4 1
WW: 000 010 1 – 2 11 1
WP: Aubrey Smallwood; LP: Delaney Buckland
Hitting – I: Trista White 1-2 (rbi), Chloe Hart 1-2, Ally Warden 1-3, Delaney Buckland 1-2; WW: Ava Mullins 4-4 (2b, 3b), Kayla Bird 3-3 (2 rbi), Brooklyn Bird 1-3, Taylor Scott 1-3, Kendall Dooley 2-3 (2b).
