Crawley – Maddie Fields is only in her second season of varsity athletics at Greenbrier West, but the sophomore sensation has already shown she has a flair for the dramatic.
Coming off a clutch 3-pointer to secure the sectional title in basketball back in February, Fields was at again Tuesday night.
This time it was on the softball diamond.
After driving in two runs in the fifth inning to tie the game, Fields helped the Cavaliers secure the sectional title with a grand slam an inning later in a 13-9 win over Midland Trail.
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t know it went over until I saw everybody was jogging around the bases,” Fields said about the blast, laughing.
The game Tuesday was completely different than the first winners bracket meeting between the schools last Friday. In that game, Greenbrier West scored 10 runs in the second inning on its way to a 21-1 pounding of the Patriots.
Cavaliers head coach Tony Hinkle knew the second sectional tournament meeting would be vastly different.
“We knew tonight would be different. We told them before the game that tonight would not be like the game we had the other night,” Hinkle said. “Our pitcher was on super the other night. We hit the ball early and (Midland Trail) got down big.”
The visitors took the lead early scoring four runs over the first two innings thanks in large part to a pair of throwing errors by the home squad.
An inside the park home run from Preslee Treadway netted two runs in the bottom of the first inning before Greenbrier West added a run in the third to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Just when it seemed the home team was set to make a run for the lead, the Patriots countered with two runs of their own for a 6-3 lead. The final run of the inning came on a solo blast from Madison Campbell.
“The girls played a good ball game and they didn’t give up,” assistant head coach Darin Minor said. “We got beat by 20 the other night and could have come here and laid down, but they didn’t. They played hard and hit the ball well.”
Outside of Treadway’s shot in the opening inning, the Greenbrier West bats had been silent over the first four innings. The long awaited explosion for the home crowd game in the final two frames.
While it wasn’t the start he had hoped for, Hinkle admitted he did not go into panic mode when his team fell behind.
“Four or five errors will get you every time, but one thing about these kids though, they never give up,” Hinkle said. “We have been in that position several times this year and they just keep their head and play ball. They have so much fun together and support each other so well. You don’t get that very often. They are so unselfish.”
Desteney Walker revved up the engine with a one-out double followed by a single from Julia Herndon.
However, Trail appeared it might dodge the big inning when a strikeout put the Patriots one out away from heading to the dugout.
The escape was not meant to be for the visitors.
A pair of walks scored one run for the Cavaliers and brought Fields to the dish with her team trailing by two runs.
After being hit on one trip to the plate and walked the other two, Fields was ready to make some noise.
“The pitch was inside a little bit, but (assistant coach) Tom (Honaker) has been telling me since the beginning of the season to hit out early,” Fields explained. “I have a big problem letting the ball come in and me being late hitting it. I was just thinking about that and it happened.”
With the count in her favor at three balls and one strike, Fields ripped the 3-1 pitch down the line just inside the third base bag for a two-run double, tying the game at 6-6.
It was the spark that the Cavaliers desperately needed.
Brilee Redden followed Fields with a single to score two more runs and Treadway made it a three-run advantage when she doubled off the fence in centerfield.
True to form, the Patriots did not go away quietly and put the pressure back on the home team with two runs the top of the sixth inning.
Two-out doubles from Hannah Beeson, Sydney Sheets and Jenna Stonestreet trimmed the lead back to 9-8 before Fields’s blast in the bottom of the frame proved to be the decisive blow.
The sectional crown was the first for Greenbrier West since 2019 when it won the last of five straight titles.
West now advances to the regional round where it awaits the winner of Section 1. The Cavaliers will host game one of the best-of-three regional series, as well as game three if needed.
MT: 220 022 1 – 9 10 2
GW: 201 064 x – 13 8 5
MT: Sydney Sheets 2-3 (2b, rbi), Jenna Stonestreet 1-2 (sac, 2b, 2rbi), Nevaeh Hall (sac, 2rbi), Madison Campbell 1-4 (HR), Layla Tompkins 2-4, Anna Weaver 2-4 (2b)Trinity Wilson 1-4, Hannah Beeson 1-2 (2b).
GW: Maddie Fields 2-2 (2b, HR 6rbi), Brilee Redden 1-5 (2rbi), Preslee Treadway 3-4( 2 2b, 3rbi), Desteney Walker 1-4 (2b), Julia Herndon 1-2.