Gallery by Greg Barnett
New Richmond – Bluefield’s history with Wyoming East has been littered with disappointment for the Beavers.
Last year they lost 6-3 on a walk-off grand slam and this year they saw East, trailing 5-4 and down to its last out, pull off an 8-4 win in Bluefield.
It was more of the same in New Richmond Monday.
Trailing by three runs in the top of the seventh, the Beavers loaded the bases before flying out into a double play for the final two outs, falling 4-1 to the Lady Warriors.
FINAL
Wyoming East 4, Bluefield 1Bluefield loads the bases and gets doubled off to end the game #wvprepsb pic.twitter.com/wnAtOEbtGK
— Tyler Jackson (@TJack94) April 25, 2023
The win secures home field advantage for East throughout next week’s sectional tournament with Bluefield securing the No. 2 seed.
While disappointing, the final sequence perfectly illustrated what the Beavers did all evening as they stranded 10 runners, including at least one in every inning after the first, with nine of them left in scoring position.
“It just seemed like as the game went on we started hitting a little more,” Bluefield coach Barry Reed said. “We made some mistakes defensively and it cost us. Are we getting closer? We are. It’s not going to be boring out here next week. We’ll make a run and see what we can do.”
It didn’t hurt that East’s freshman pitcher Paytin Brehm had one of the best performances of her young career. She found a way to strand all of those runners while striking out nine batters. The one run Bluefield did manage was unearned.
“I paid attention to the first time they batted so I knew what they swung at,” Brehm said. “I knew what I needed to pitch them the next time. My screwball and my riseball were really working.”
Brehm started fast, fanning the first two batters she faced before running into trouble in the top of the second. A walk and a single to Bluefield’s No. 4 and 5 hitters set the stage for a bunt that moved the pair into scoring position. The lanky lefty didn’t fold though, tossing another pair of strikeouts to wiggle out of the jam.
She faced the same situation in the following inning with two outs and cleanup hitter Maddie Lawson at the plate but fielded a grounder and tossed to first to skirt the damage once more.
Meanwhile her offense provided her with a lead early. East catcher Kayley Bane, fresh off a week where she batted. 650, hit a liner to right field that grazed off the glove of the outfielder and rolled to the wall, allowing the senior to scoot to third. A sacrifice fly from senior Savannah Brehm plated Bane, staking the hosts to a 1-0 advantage.
They doubled it in the bottom of the third when Bane was hit by a pitch and eventually scored after back-to-back errors allowed Savannah Brehm and Andrea Laxton to reach base.
The following inning yielded more of the same when Cadee Blackburn was hit by a pitch for the second time  and Bane doubled down the third base line to score her and make it a 3-0 game. The senior continued to cause havoc, stealing third when Savannah Brehm drew ball four. The throw down bounced into left field, allowing Bane to race home for East’s final run of the night.
“She’s the toughest out in the state right now,” East head coach Doc Warner said of Bane.
While the offense was building her a cushion, the younger Brehm continued to work, striking out the side in the fifth after an error allowed the leadoff batter to reach. But in a familiar scenario, she began to falter later. An error, and a walk sandwiched between to singles allowed Lawson to steal home on a double-steal, putting the Beavers on the board in the sixth inning.
The Lady Warriors threatened to answer in the bottom of the frame when Alivia Monroe and Savannah Brehm notched pair of singles but a strikeout diffused that threat.
Early in the seventh it appeared that may haunt East which stranded 11 runners of its own in the game.
Grace Richardson and Taylor Mabry opened the seventh with a pair of back to back singles but some confusion at first in which there was question whether the ball was fair or foul allowed the duo to keep moving  and park in scoring position without an out.
Brehm fanned the No. 3 hitter for the first out before walking Lawson to load the bases. Afterwards came the play of the game.
No. 5 hitter Sophia Hall hit a sinking liner right to Monroe who snagged it and fired to first to double off Lawson and cap the game.
“I was a little nervous,” Brehm laughed. “I’m more comfortable in these situations than I was in the beginning of the season.”
“Let me tell you, the last two of three games she’s gotten better,” Warner said. “Earlier in the year, she wouldn’t have won that game. She would’ve walked a whole bunch of them. But today she made them hit the ball. The more she pitches the better she is.”
The two teams likely won’t have to wait much longer to meet again with the sectional tournament slated to begin next week. They’ve played for the last two sectional titles with the Lady Warriors coming out on top both times.
“I’m proud of what we’re doing,” Reed said. “We’re 20-6 and it’s the first time in the history of the school they’ve won 20 games. We’re making progress every year. Are we going to win the sectional championship? Â I don’t know. We can’t make the mistakes we’re making at this point and win a sectional championship. But I’m proud of where we are and where we’ve come from.”
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on twitter @tjack94
